The Neptunia Chronicles
by Dumbrarere1
Summary: A story that ties into my multi crossover Neptunia fanfic on DeviantART. When Neptune is kidnapped and Gamindustri is faced with all out war against a major crime syndicate, the nations must band together to save a people in distress. But, will the CPUs be up to the task? Rated M for the perverted actions of certain individuals (no sex tho.) Cover image by michi1412 of DeviantArt.
1. The Dark Corners of the Black Market

**The Neptunia Chronicles**

 **The Dark Corners of the Black Market**

Andrew Hawker and Neptune were enjoying a peaceful, quiet evening together in the Basilicom of Planeptune. It had been almost a week since they got married, and they had the day to themselves. Histoire wasn't particularly irritated at the lack of work being done today since... well... there wasn't any to be done. The past crises have calmed down enough that things are returning to normal, and hardly any action was necessary.

"Andrew, Neptune!" Compa called out from the elevator entryway as she walked in with what sounded like grocery bags.

"Coming!" Andrew replied, getting up. "Wait right here, my love. I'll be right back." Andrew cooed lovingly to Neptune, who replied with a smile. As Andrew was walking to see what Compa wanted- POW! Andrew fell to the floor as a ginger-haired girl in a bee-striped tiger suit pounced on him.

"OW!" Andrew shouted as the little girl giggled. "Peashy, I told you, don't pounce on me like that. Had I been near one of those glass railings, you or I could have been seriously hurt!" Andrew yelled authoritatively. Peashy didn't stop giggling, and soon after, Andrew joined in the laughter, rubbing the girl's hair gently. It took both of them a minute to finally calm down.

"Y'know Peashy, the fact that you catch me off guard like this, you could easily be a member of the special forces division." Andrew complimented. "Speaking of which, I wonder how Avan is doing." Andrew muttered to himself. Peashy slowly rises up from on top of Andrew and he gets up as well. Just as Andrew rose to his feet, Histoire came in. "Something the matter, Histoire?" Andrew asked.

"No, just seeing how you're all doing." Histoire replied gleefully. Compa came in with a bit of rosemary chicken, a smile on her face. Nobody noticed the drips that fell on the plate, however.

"I've got dinner ready, just out of the oven. I even went to the market and got some ingredients for homemade pudding." Compa reported. Andrew fell into a slight daze as he smelled the chicken. "Smells good." Peashy shouted as she jumped up and down, trying to take a bite off of the plate Compa had in her hands. "What's all the fuss about?" Neptune asked as she walked in. "Our dinner is ready, Neptune." Andrew said happily.

* * *

Everyone walked to the table, which was already set up prior to Compa leaving to get groceries, and they sat down.

"Well everyone, go ahead and eat." Compa announced as everyone began to dig in.

"This is good." Andrew said after swallowing a bite. Neptune ate a bit and looked somewhat green.

"I don't feel so good..." Neptune moaned.

"Neptune. Is something wrong?" Histoire asked, a look of worry plastered on her face.

"Is it getting... woah. this is so trippy..." Neptune muttered, her upper body beginning to wobble.

"This doesn't look good. What was on her plate other than the food?" Andrew asked, keeping Neptune in his sight.

"I-I-I-" Compa fumbled. "Oooohhhh! Everyone looks so... big. I'm seeing... double rainbows across the table... Why is the author making me talk like this?" Neptune continued to mutter, before she keeled over and fell off the chair. Andrew got up in a split second and ran to her.

"Neptune! Neptune, are you okay?!" Andrew shouted as he shook her warm, but motionless body. Dead? Andrew began to check for vital signs, and sighs in relief.

"She's got a normal pulse, so poison is out of the picture." Andrew said.

"Oh thank heavens." Compa muttered. Something didn't add up, though. Why did she faint like this after taking a bite of Compa's Rosemary Chicken?

"What did she eat?" Histoire wondered.

"I don't know. Perhaps someone put something in her food that drugged her." Andrew hypothesized. Before anyone can investigate, the glass windows shattered and smoke grenades popped underneath the table.

"AH!" Compa shouted as smoke filled the basilicom dining room.

"An attack?!" Andrew shouted as he summoned his claymore. Andrew closed his eyes for a moment, the magic of the blade sets in and he scans the room for the attackers. A few gunshots, however, and he was on the ground, blood coming out of his arm as he seethed in pain while three black figures scanned the room. In a second, one of them grabbed Neptune and, before his eyes, they retreated with her.

"No! You bastards..." Andrew snarled as they left. In a few seconds, Planeptune Security barged into the room.

"Stop in the name of the- Andrew... what the hell?" the leader of the security group shouted as the smoke cleared.

"They've... got Neptune..." Andrew muttered as he clutched his arm. The words made the security personnel lurch back.

"You're... kidding..." one of the guards muttered.

"Our CPU... kidnapped..." another guard said to himself. As the smoke was finally cleared from the building, the extent of the damage was visible. The ornate table was broken, bullet holes were on the walls, Histoire was shaking on one of the walls, and of course there was debris and broken dishes everywhere. Neptune's food was still on a perfectly preserved plate.

On the shattered glass was a note that read: _"If you care about her, you will look for me in the plaza by the golden arch tomorrow evening. Come alone, or not at all. CJ"_ Andrew didn't have time to ponder the meaning of the note, as he began feeling cold and dizzy. No doubt the relentless pain was driving him into shock. Compa started treating his wound as his vision blurred. After Compa finished tending to his wound, Andrew went to bed as the dizziness intensified.

* * *

The next morning, Andrew woke up with a foggy memory of what happened the night before. It seemed like a bad dream... at least he hoped it was. Andrew stretched his arm out, hoping to embrace his lover in his arms. Nothing. The Paladin-Knight sighed sadly as he got up and returned to the crime scene. As he was walking, Andrew got intercepted by a news broadcaster.

"And here's Neptune's faithful companion and lover, now. Andrew, what do you have to say about this?" the female reporter asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." Andrew said as he rubbed the still-sore gun wound on his arm.

"Well, the people of Planeptune will want to know what you think-" the reporter continued.

"You wanna know what I think?!" Andrew interrupted, his eyes burning with shock, anger, and sorrow. Andrew then sighed as he regained his composure.

"I think you guys aren't the only ones suffering through this crisis. I thought I could protect her when this all started. But I just HAD to get shot in the arm. Now I have nothing to go on in terms of her whereabouts, other than a note taped to a shard of glass." Andrew said. The answer took the news reporter by surprise, seeing the husband of Planeptune's CPU in such anger and confusion. Andrew sighs, however.

"Forget it." Andrew finally said after a minute and walked off. Andrew sat on the couch where he sat the day before with her, before this all started, and placed his hand in his face as he sighed once more. Histoire was sitting on the table, her face a pale white as if all the color had been sucked out of her.

"I-I-I-I can't b-b-b-b-believe t-t-t-this is h-h-h-happ-p-p-p-pening." she stammered, her whole body shaking as if she were a cellphone with a vibrator connected to a high-power battery. IF was sitting opposite of them, fiddling with her hair.

"A CPU... kidnapped from within her own basilicom..." IF said silently. On the table next to Histoire was one of Neptune's hairpieces, mixed with a few strands of her purple hair still attached. Andrew picked it up gently and looked at it, memories flooding in. He couldn't take anymore as he dropped the hairpiece on the table and walked out onto the balcony to reflect.

"It just doesn't seem real..." Andrew said to himself. Beside him, a shadowy figure condensed into a familiar, hateful form.

"What do YOU want?!" Andrew asked his evil twin brother.

"I know why you're upset. All I can say is that this was not my doing." Jeromy explained.

"And why should I believe you?" Andrew asked back, being in no mental state to snap at anyone.

"Those guys that attacked last night. They were mercenaries serving a criminal organization, named "Heaven's Bane." With Planeptune's CPU in their hands, there's no telling what they might do." Jeromy explained. Andrew gave out a long sigh as he realized what this criminal organization would do with her, a trump card for a hostile takeover of Planeptune without any resistance.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I am a pawn in someone's chess game." Andrew muttered. He heard his twin chuckle.

"You sound like you're admitting defeat." Jeromy said. "There is still time to rescue her. Just think, Andrew. Think of how Neptune would want you to take control of this situation." Jeromy added. As much as he hated to admit it, Andrew knew that Jeromy was right.

"Thank you, Jeromy." Andrew managed to say as his twin began to dissipate into a black cloud and wander elsewhere.

* * *

Neptune was still in a daze, just waking up to find things different.

"uhhh..." she moaned, her blurred vision beginning to correct itself as she regained consciousness. "Where... am I?" she asked, before looking down. "Why am I dressed like a slut?" she asked herself, noticing the tank top and immodestly short skirt she was wearing.

"Oh. you're awake. How are you feeling, Princess?" a guard asked her mockingly. Neptune looked up and noticed her wrists were chained to the wall of the holding cell she was in.

"Why am I in chains? What's going on here?" Neptune demanded.

"So, she's finally awake..." another man asked as he walked up to take a good look at her. He was wearing a white business suit with a blood-red miniature rose pinned on the lapel, and a large cigar in between his fingers. "My client will be so glad to know that his merchandise is... up and about." the man continued.

"Client... Merchandise? What are you talking about?!" Neptune continued to demand.

"Oh, I haven't told you yet, have I Neptune? You see, the payment has come in, and my prized possession, you, is now his, and he will do with you as he sees fit. That's how slavery works, you know?" the man explained. The words "possession" and "slavery" sent a chill down Neptune's spine.

"You... sold me?!" Neptune yelled.

"Heh, indeed. And while you are in his possession, you are to refer to him as "Master," am I clear on this?" the man asked, wearing a sly grin.

"No! NOT clear!" Neptune yelled as she told her body to transform. However, nothing happens. "Wha- Why can't I transform?!" Neptune asked, continuing to try to transform.

"Ah, you see I knew about the whole "CPU" gimmick, and had a specially designed HDD Inhibitor locked around your neck. Give up now, girlie, before you burn yourself out and make yourself useless to your new master." the man explained in a twisted manner. Neptune, feeling powerless, could only sigh and accept her fate.

"Andrew... IF... Somebody... please help me..." Neptune cried to herself as she was unchained from the wall and escorted to her new master.

* * *

"What?! Kidnapped?!" Nepgear yelled across the screen. Andrew was on his communicator with everyone about what happened the night before.

"I'm afraid so." Andrew confirmed.

"Who would do such a thing?!" Vert asked, a hint of displeasure in her voice.

"A criminal organization called "Heaven's Bane," apparently. They sent in mercenaries and took her in an elaborate plan, drugging her with a tranquilizer in her food and assaulting the basilicom when we least expected it. The dining room is in ruins and everyone here is in complete dismay." Andrew explained.

"Wait till I get my hands on those assholes! I'm going to shove my axe so far up their asses that they'll be puking out their own shit!" Blanc swore.

"Blanc! Keep it together!" Ram shouted.

"Blanc is scary when she's angry..." Peashy mused as she stared at the screen.

"We need to meet up here and think of a plan." Andrew suggested in Histoire's place.

"Got it. We'll see you in a bit." Kagami replied before the link was switched off. Within 4 hours, everyone they could get appeared at the basilicom.

"Okay, here's the deal. I got tipped off by someone called "CJ" as to the possible whereabouts of Neptune. He said in a note to meet at the "Golden Arch" in Planeptune's plaza alone." Andrew began.

"You can't be serious!" Noire shouted in disbelief.

"I admire the fact that you love her enough to sacrifice yourself for her, but you can't go alone!" Sora shouted.

"It's probably a trap!" Uni added.

"I know." Andrew countered "Which is why I need a team to follow me in the shadows." Andrew continued.

"That might work." Avan thought out loud.

"I'll lead the team then. It's thanks to her, after all, that I regained my nation from Avenir's control." Noire offered. Uni seemed uncomfortable with her offer, though.

"Are you sure, sis?" Uni asked.

"Of course. Why would I let her suffer like this?" Noire replied. Andrew had a smile extend across his face, knowing that his friends from all three other nations were here to help him find and rescue Neptune. After two minutes of talking and planning, everyone was in agreement, and they were off.

* * *

"I was wondering if you'd come." the mysterious man retorted.

"And you've come alone. That's good." the man continued.

"Enough with the shenanigans, Mr. CJ. I am here because you said you might know something about Neptune." Andrew said matter-of-fact-ly.

"Aye. I do. But this information comes at a cost, you know. I am a businessman at heart, and I like things to be exchanged for things of equal or... greater value." CJ said with a smirk.

"Name your terms, CJ." Andrew replied. CJ merely laughed a little.

"You just have to... play my game." he said suddenly. With a metallic click, a mercenary cocks a magnum revolver behind Andrew's head as three others surround him. "The rules are simple. You simply have to break out of this trap and kill these mercenaries WITHOUT using Hard Drive Divinity. Just guts and timing, no special powers. Oh and uh... try and survive." the man explained with a sinister smirk on his face as he backed off. Andrew closed his eyes and waited for the right moment. When the mercenaries thought he was cowering and lose their guard, he jumped up several meters in the air and came back down, slashing two of the mercs in half, before activating his signature move, "Dimension Blitz," on the other two. With all four mercenaries dead, the strange man walked forward again.

"Very good, Andrew. VERY good." the man applauded.

"What was this about?" Andrew questioned.

"I was merely testing you. Now that you have given me the payment, I will tell you everything, starting with who I am." CJ replied, as Andrew cocked an eyebrow.

"I am Carlos J. Xaldren, the de facto leader of a... certain business company based along the Planeptune-Lastation border." Carlos began.

"In other words, Heaven's Bane." Andrew replied. Carlos simply chuckled.

"Not exactly, though you will know that I lead one part of it.." he chimed in. "However, it was I who ordered your dear Neptune's kidnapping. And of course you'll never find her." he continued with a sinister laugh.

"And why can I not finding her?" Andrew retorted.

"Simple. I sold her." Carlos replied. Andrew's eyes widened as the man continued to laugh. In anger, Andrew lashed out and grabbed the man's throat.

"WHAT?! YOU SOLD HER?!" Andrew yelled, furious after hearing what the man did to Neptune.

"Indeed I did." Carlos replied with a smirk that said "you can't break me." Andrew threw the man onto the ground before picking him up again by the collar of his business suit.

"You monster. You kidnapped the CPU of Planeptune just so you could sell her!" Andrew shouted as he punched the other man's face hard. "You can't break me." Carlos muttered confidently. Andrew thought about stabbing the man while he had him, but realized that would get him nowhere.

"You're coming with me. When we're done with you, you're going to tell us the client and everything. After that, it is up to me and the her to decide your fate after we rescue her. Are we clear on this?" Andrew declared.

"We are." Carlos said with the same smirk, which was unnerving considering he was under arrest.

* * *

"So, YOU'RE the one responsible for Neptune's kidnapping!" Histoire shouted, obviously livid.

"Heheheh, yes I am." Carlos replied with a chuckle.

"And Andrew reported to me that you sold her to someone, am I right with that assessment?" Histoire asked again. This caught a few of the guards at Planeptune's prison off guard, though the warden and head detective were informed of everything that Andrew learned.

"That is right as well." Carlos admitted.

"And who exactly is the client?" Noire demanded. Carlos simply chuckled.

"Tell us!" Andrew snapped as he slammed the desk.

"Like I will say anything to the to the likes of you." Carlos stated confidently. Nepgear and Uni both walk up to him and drag him over the table by his shirt collar.

"You will tell us everything about the person you sold my sister to, or so help me I will inject so much truth serum into you that you will be spouting your secrets to everyone you meet for the rest of your miserable life!" Nepgear threatened. The man looked like he was quivering this time.

"N-no! Please!" Carlos begged.

"Then TELL US!" Andrew shouted. Carlos simply sighed.

"I don't memorize every bit of information in case of situations like this. If you want her back that bad, you'll have to get the information from my slave market in the mountains, but be warned, the moment you set foot in there, the guards will be all over you before you can say a peep. I will tell you though that the information is on my computer terminal in my office. The password is "09154." It will be in a text file under "Recent Sales."" Carlos explained. Everyone sighed in return as the warden walked in to take him away.

"Keep an eye on him with the best people you have. If he tries anything, shoot him and let me know." Andrew orders the warden.

"Very well, sir." the warden replied.

* * *

"Hey, sweetheart, I'm thirsty. Go get me a beer!" a man ordered.

"Yes, Master." Neptune said with a deep sigh as she headed for the kitchen. 'This stinks. He's really hard on me.' Neptune thought as she opened the refrigerator door and pulled a beer bottle out. 'How much longer will this continue?' Neptune continued to think. As Neptune walked to her master with the beer bottle, she tripped on a step and she fell with a loud yelp, landing flat on her face. The bottle went flying and broke on the hardwood floor in front of her. Her master stormed up to her and picked her up by the back of her tank top, almost choking her.

"You think you can do something like that? You think that's funny?! WELL? DO YOU, BITCH?!" the man shouted.

"F-Forgive me, Master, I tripped." Neptune explained. Her pleas, however, fell on deaf ears.

"I will show you what happens when you disobey my commands or do shit like this!" the angry man yelled as he dragged Neptune downstairs into the basement. "In there, you little slut!" the man shouted viciously as he threw Neptune into a cage, before putting a padlock on the door. Without any further word he turned off the light and closed the basement door.

"Why?" Neptune cried, clenching the bars tightly. Neptune then backed up and crawled into a ball, tears streaming off her face. "Why is this happening to me?" Neptune cried to herself, sniffling. "Andrew... where are you? Please get me out of here. I can't take anymore!" Neptune continued to mutter as her crying became worse. Above her on the wall to her right was a grate, with more bars separating the basement from the outside world. Neptune looked up as moonlight flooded the otherwise dark and cold basement, putting her hand out as if to grab the moon in it's entirety. Neptune eventually lowers her arm and cries herself to sleep.

* * *

"We've got the precise location of the slave market, but it's too remote to reach by road. They probably have a hidden transportation network and a well-established system of secrecy, which would explain why we couldn't find it without some form of guidance. Defenses are tight, including automated and hardened guard posts, heavy AA, and even laser defense weaponry, which are providing a sort of shield against unauthorized intrusion." IF explained. They were in the Combat Ops Center of the Guild Hall planning their assault of the compound.

"No doubt Heaven's Bane extends into the Black Market and other criminal fields, especially when they've got Lastation and Planeptune weapons tech." Noire added.

"So how do we get to it?" Uni asked.

"The only way in is a HALO jump." IF explained further. Avan looked pained by the answer.

"That sure was short, and what is a Halo jump, anyway?" Avan asked.

"It stands for "High Altitude, Low Orbit." You're essentially jumping into a designated landing zone from a suborbital or otherwise extremely high altitude platform like a spacecraft or high altitude aircraft like a C-17." Andrew explained.

"That doesn't help me any! I'm not even trained for that sort of thing!" Avan retorted.

"That's why you won't be going in. Besides, you aren't qualified for stealth ops." IF replied back.

"We have a team set up for this, right?" Ram asked.

"We do." a man said, the voice very familiar to Andrew.

"Was that?" he asked, before turning around and seeing a man in an olive drab MJOLNIR powered armor suit, who was followed by some familiar people.

"SPARTAN Sierra-117, ready for duty." the man said again.

"Chief?" Vert asked, confused.

"We're all ready for duty." another man stated.

"David Mason, Callsign Section. With me are Sev, Scorch, and Fixer of Delta Squad, as well as William Bishop and Janice Rehl of Lastation's Air Force." the man, calling himself David, reported.

"Section, Sev, Scorch, Fixer, and I will be the assault force. Janice has offered to fly us in with a high altitude transport while William Bishop flies escort." the chief explained with clarity.

"Alright, but... who's leading the team?" Andrew asked, confused by all this.

"Who else but you?" Section answered. This caught Andrew off guard.

"You loved her, now you're going to be the one to get her back." Fixer responded.

"Thank you all. Very much." Nepgear chimed with a smile. However, the holographic map of the designated location was interrupted by a small, ghostly image of a woman with circuits on her body, short, black hair, and a moderately sized bust, on par with Noire's.

"I've found and designated the best landing zone a few klicks from the slave market. You should have the data on your computers." the spectral woman said.

"Wow, that hologram looks hot." Scorch said quietly before being elbowed hard in the chest by Fixer.

"Cortana...?" the chief asked.

"Never thought you'd see me again, eh Chief?" Cortana asked as the SPARTAN almost wept under his helmet.

"My backed up data was streamed across the universe in search of Halsey's computer system, and I somehow ended up in Planeptune's servers. They were able to recompile my code and get me back to working order." Cortana explained. Without saying a word, the chief unplugged a chip in the back of his helmet and plugged it into the console, and Cortana jumped in, before being plugged back into the chief's helmet.

"Well, that's one reunion..." Noire said with a smile.

"Let's get going." Andrew ordered.

"Right." Section replied.

* * *

"The planes are ready, so you just have to take off at your own discretions." A man at Planeptune's airport reported. "Just be easy on them and you'll be fine." the man continued.

"We understand. Just make sure all air traffic is out of the way when we take off." Bishop ordered. The other man simply nodded in reply. The man they were talking to understood the importance of this mission and agreed to take orders from military personnel operating from the airport for the time being. In a low whine, the engines of the C-17 start up, followed by a light buzz of jet engines from an R-99 Forneus fighter aircraft, both painted in Lastation Air Force roundels.

"Never seen a craft like this." Sev said, looking around.

"Hey, Andrew. I know you use a sword and all, but take this." Fixer said to his temporary squad leader as he tossed him a spare DC-15 Blaster Pistol.

"Are you sure about this?" Andrew asked.

"I am sure. It's a spare I brought along from the armory back on Coruscant." Fixer explained. Andrew only gave a slight smile to confirm his thanks. As the planes rolled down the runway and into the air, Andrew closed his eyes and listened to the noise of the world around him. Climbing into the drop altitude was fairly easy for the powerful C-17 with such a light load aboard. The flight was fairly quick, and about 36 minutes have passed before they were-

"What's that sound?" Scorch asked as something beeped in the cockpit of the plane.

"Hold on, boys. We've got company." Janice called out to the people in the back.

"What kind?" Sev asked.

"They appear to be Yak-141s. Six of them." Bishop confirmed.

"Since when did a criminal organization get an air force?" Janice wondered aloud.

"At this rate, we're going to be shot down before we reach the drop point." Cortana estimated.

"Not on my watch!" Bishop vowed. Outside the plane, Bishop threw his R-99 into a steep climb, before pulling hard left on the rudder. The extremely agile fighter pulls a fast yaw, and he gets a missile lock. Before Bishop could fire, however, the Yak pulled up hard and moved it's exhaust duct downwards, bleeding speed. "The hell?!" Bishop cried out.

"Careful, Bishop. They may be less maneuverable than you when in normal flight, but they can quickly enter VTOL mode and bleed speed. You're screwed if you rely on that Forneus's computers for this one. You have to use your pilot's intuition." Andrew explained. With his words, Bishop changed his tactics and pulled back hard, catching the six of another Yak-141.

"Ok... is he climbing?" Bishop thought out loud. Quickly, the Yak-141 he was chasing rolled left and pulled into a steep dive towards the deck. "Nope, he's going low!" he shouted to himself as he pulled the R-99 into a similar maneuver. The two fighter planes leveled off 90 feet off the deck. Bishop was still on the Yak's tail as he got a lock. The Yak in front of him immediately engaged his VTOL, but Bishop countered with a Cobra.

As the nose of the Forneus jerked upward, Bishop put the pipper on the Yak's fuselage and pulled the trigger. The 20mm cannon belched as several rounds left the gun, punching holes into his target. In a bright, fiery flash, the Yak-141 broke up in midair, spewing oil and hydraulic fluid around the surrounding airspace. "Got one!" Bishop shouted.

"Gentlemen, we are two-zero minutes to target, get ready for the jump." Janice announced. "Alright, helmets on!" Andrew instructed. While the chief already had his helmet on, the others got theirs on quickly.

* * *

The time seemed to fly by like a snail doing a two mile sprint. The C-17 buffeted as another enemy plane was shot down.

"Alright boys, we're one minutes away, opening rear hatch." Janice called out. Within 15 seconds, the rear hatch of the large plane opened fully. All they had to wait for was the signal.

"Equipment check!" Andrew called out. On instinct, the team checked all their equipment, from oxygen systems to jetpacks.

"Check!" Fixer called out.

"Check!" Section repeated. It only took a couple seconds for the final preparations were completed.

"Approaching drop zone. Twenty seconds to drop." Cortana announced. Andrew raised his left arm and looked at his wristwatch, counting down the final seconds to the drop in his head.

"Ten seconds!" Andrew yelled out. 5. 4. 3. 2... "Green light! Green light! Let's go!" Andrew ordered as he and the assault team ran out the rear hatch.

"Good luck down there, boys. We'll see you back at the basilicom with that intel." Janice said.

"It's 60,000 feet to the bottom. Keep your head on a swivel. Watch for anything." Andrew instructed.

"This is nuts! Jumping off a plane 60,000 feet up?" Scorch complained.

"We have jetpacks, you know. I'll give the signal at 500 feet, and we use them. Right now, it's just a nice little freefall!" Andrew countered.

"Your sense of humor scares me sometimes, you know that?" Fixer moaned. Andrew could only look back at him, his irritated look hidden behind his helmet.

"Passing 50,000 feet." Section said.

"Hey, this is actually kinda fun! If I had a target I could probably-" Scorch chimed in.

"Scorch, let's keep the conversations to a minimum! If they detect us too early they'll scatter their assets and whatever slaves are there. It would be MONTHS before we find anything again and by that time it would be too late!" Andrew interrupted. They were still descending rapidly as they reached terminal velocity. "Passing 40,000 feet. Stay on this axis and don't slow down until I say so." Andrew ordered. The descent was rather uneventful. As they reached the 1,000 foot mark, though, they ran into enemy fire from a mercenary patrol, who had the aim of stormtroopers as they missed every shot they threw at the team from their assault rifles.

"Man, this CJ guy has a whole fucking army!" Section noted.

"Hitting 500 feet. Use jetpacks... now!" Andrew ordered. The strike team spun a full 180 degrees and activated their jetpacks, slowing down almost instantaneously. For Section, the G-forces were relentless, but for the Chief and the Delta Squad members were used to it due to varying reasons. Andrew was able to withstand them with his god-like powers due to his status as the Paladin-Knight of Planeptune. As soon as they hit the ground they started firing on the mercenary patrol, taking them down almost instantly. "Targets down. All members check in." Andrew said, beginning a roll call for the team.

"Section here, still present." David announced.

"Delta squad, reading 100 percent." Fixer announced.

"The Chief's vital signs read normal. We're good to go." Scorch announced.

"Alright. Begin operation." Andrew ordered.

* * *

After ten minutes of walking, they come to a stop, kneeling behind a rock close to the facility.

"It looks like they're on full alert. Could be ready to evacuate everything at any minute." Section reported. Andrew thought for a moment.

"Looks like we have a bit of a pickle. Going in quiet would take too long, and going in loud would be suicide." Andrew muttered.

"Looks like the hot way in is our only option, however." Fixer announced. Andrew just signed.

"You're the Paladin-Knight of Planeptune. Just transform and you'll take them no problem. We'll cover your six o'clock!" Scorch shouted quietly.

"That's the best plan that came out of your mouth, 62." Fixer admitted.

"Go for it, man. We've got your back." Sev added confidently. With a smile, Andrew closes his eyes as he mentally tells himself to begin his transformation. In a flash of light, Andrew becomes Purple Shield, like he did the first time against Momus in the previous crisis. The flash did not go unnoticed by the enemy, however, and they quickly ran over to investigate. When they looked around and saw nothing, they turned around to head back... and got jumped.

"Criminal scum! This is for Neptune!" Andrew shouted as he slashed the metal fence with his sword, chopping a mercenary in half in the process. Through the breach, the rest of the team came out, firing wildly at the mercenaries.

"Ah! Who are these guys?!" one of them asked in a panic.

"You follow a man who has committed an unforgivable crime against Planeptune and her people. Surrender now and you will be spared." Andrew declared in the face of a few mercenaries. Two of them step back, but a few others held firm.

"You think I will give up? I will not rest until the very last drop of your blood is spilled!" a mercenary shouted. Andrew sighed in return.

"So be it." Andrew said grimly, before stabbing the defiant mercenary in the gut, and forcing the blade upward through the merc's head. Two more mercenaries jumped back after witnessing the way the man was killed, fear engulfing them.

"Any more takers?" Andrew asked firmly. None of the other mercenaries in the group dared anything.

"I'm after documents regarding the sale of Neptune. Where's Mr. Carlos's main computer?" Andrew demanded.

"In his office... sir. We're not allowed in, however." a mercenary spat in fear.

"Take me to it, please." Andrew ordered.

* * *

As Andrew walked through the halls, Section and Fixer kept a steady watch on him electronically. Section simply breathed a silent sigh of relief as Andrew enters a room.

"Alright, he's inside." Section reported to the rest of the group. They had already removed a large percentage of the defending mercenaries, and were now cleaning up the mess. The few remaining mercenaries had already given up. Scorch and Sev already had the place secured, so Fixer, the Chief and Section went to meet up with Andrew. As soon as they got to him, the mercenary guards motioned them in.

"He's waiting for you, getting the files as we speak." was all they said. Fixer and Section looked at each other, puzzled, before walking in.

"Looks like you got here okay. Got a few problems on my end." Andrew reported.

"What kind of problems." the Chief asked.

"I got the password in alright, but I've hit a brick wall. Carlos never mentioned he had a dual security wall on this thing." Andrew mused irritably.

"Dual security?" Fixer asked.

"Yea. A five-digit password AND a biometric scanner. Then there's the firewall which prevents any sort of trojan or remote hacking." Andrew replied.

"Hold on..." Cortana shouted.

"You have a plan?" the Chief asked her AI companion.

"Yes. I might be able to get inside and disable the firewall long enough for Section to bypass the biometric scanner." Cortana mused.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Fixer said as he plugged in an adapter that Nepgear made. As Cortana was plugged in, she transferred herself onto Carlos's computer terminal and worked to disable the firewall.

"Just a little more... Got it!" Cortana shouted. "Alright, Section. Begin the bypass." she instructed.

"Already on it." David said as he worked the TacPad on his left arm. With a few taps, the computer terminal read "ACCESS GRANTED."

"Alright, we're in. Thank you, Cortana." Andrew said as he worked on the terminal. "Alright... main folders... recent sales... GOT IT!" Andrew muttered.

"You found it?" Section asked.

"Yea. It looks like Neptune was sold to a Mr. Jose Carter. He's not registered in any of the four nations, but it says he lives on a private estate on the isles west of Planeptune." Andrew said as he plugged a data drive into the slot. "Beginning file transfer... and done." Andrew said as he transferred all the files necessary to find Neptune. Andrew shut down the computer and removed the data drive and the terminal's hard drive.

"Fixer, go ahead and tell Scorch and Sev to release the remaining slaves, we're closing up shop. Permanently. Section, don't forget to pick up Neptune's outfit and gear before we leave." Andrew instructed as he walked out of the room. "Where will you guys go now?" Andrew asked the mercenaries that turned coat.

"We figured we'd abandon our paychecks and do something else." one of them said, pretty sure of his decision.

"You could always join the Planeptune Security Force. They could use someone of your military expertise. Think about it. You'll be using your skills for the greater good." Andrew suggested. The mercenaries looked at each other, thinking things over for a minute.

"Well I guess there's nowhere else for us to turn. We'll go with your suggestion." one of them answerd.

"Good man." Andrew said with a smile. While Section went to pick up Neptune's gear, Sev was releasing the prisoners as Scorched laid down explosive charges.

* * *

After almost an hour, the prisoners were rounded up, marked with white IFF tags, while the turncoat mercs were marked with blue ones. The slaves have also been freed, the slave market was laden with explosives, and the defenses have stood down, knowing full well that the battle was lost.

"...we've accomplished the mission and need... maybe two or three helos for extraction. We've got some friends, freed slaves and some prisoners." Fixer reported, using the radio.

"Have the defenses stood down?" Nepgear asked, using a radio transceiver back at the basilicom.

"Yes, Ma'am. The Slave Market has also been rigged with explosive charges, which we'll detonate following our evac." Fixer reported.

"Very well. We've detailed a couple of Pelican dropships to you for exfil." Vert replied.

"Now that's my kind of ride!" Cortana said excitedly. After 40 minutes, the two pelicans arrive, and everyone in the group boards.

"We're ready when you are." Andrew called out to the pilot. After the dropships lift off and pass the safety line, Scorch hits the trigger, and the slave market goes off in a large blast. After that, it was a quiet 20 minutes back to the basilicom.

* * *

"You're back. Do you have the intel?" Histoire asked as Andrew and the team he followed walked inside the Basilicom.

"We do. And there's more in the original hard drive." Andrew said as he lifted both the thumb drive and the hard drive up. Nepgear took the thumb drive and plugged it into a computer terminal, reading the data that popped up, while Section put Neptune's gear and other hairpiece in her bedroom.

"This looks like a tough one. It won't be hard to reach, but we will likely have a hard time with it if they have automated defenses." IF groaned, looking at the data on the screen.

"Noire, can your satellites pick anything up from the general location?" Histoire asked.

"On it." Noire said, typing in some code into the computer terminal. What came up from recent scans was not encouraging.

"That's a lot of defenses for a simple private estate." Scorch swore as chills ran down his spine. "Looks like tanks, mechs, all sorts of units, and it's a lot of open ground to cover. A small team won't work this time. It's going to have to be a major assault to get through all that." Cortana muttered.

"The battlecruiser _Archangel_ and her battle group has the capacity to provide a ground assault and naval bombardment. I'll let the admiral know we need it for this one." Noire muttered as she and Nepgear walked into a communications room.

"I've got pretty bad feeling about this one." Sev muttered. Section and Cortana could only concur.

"Let's get some rest. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long, bloody day." Andrew suggested.

* * *

Neptune was still sleeping when morning arrived and Jose walked in and unlocked the cage in his basement.

"Alright, time to get up. I have plenty of bills to sign, and I didn't get all this equipment for nothing." Jose said. Neptune sat up with a sigh.

"Where will I be working today, master?" Neptune asked. Jose simply looked at her with a neutral face.

"I don't have any work for you today, but I want to keep an eye on you after that little incident yesterday." he finally said as he moved to allow her to crawl out. As she stood up and dusted herself off, Jose led her out to the living room where the TV is and everything... and shackled her leg to one of the walls. "Just so I can keep an eye on you." he said.

Neptune sat down on the floor and began to close her eyes and pretend this was all a vivid nightmare. It did not, however, ease the pain of the knowledge of her situation. In an instant, memories of her past battles, ones with Andrew being the most vivid, came flooding in. Neptune was woken up, however, when her stomach growled. "Don't say a peep, please. I'm very busy." Jose said. Neptune simply sighed and listened to whatever was on the TV. As Neptune listened to the TV, she could swear she heard Andrew's voice in various places.

"Andrew. I miss you so much." Neptune cried in her head.

* * *

Out at sea, everyone was bustling about on the battlecruiser and several other ships in the fleet en route to the islands. The carrier _LFS Kestrel_ joined them, and would provide air support in the coming raid.

"How long until we make landfall?" Avan asked one of the sailors.

"About three hours." was all the sailor said in reply. Avan merely shrugged, before Cloud snuck up behind him.

"Something the matter, Cloud?" Avan asked.

"Just... worried." was all Cloud could say.

"About Neptune?" Avan asked in response. Cloud was silent for several seconds.

"Yea." Cloud finally said.

"We all are, though Andrew is taking it the hardest." Compa responded. Next to her were some people who were very familiar to Avan.

"Cosette?! Zeri?!" Avan shouted out of excitement.

"Histoire said you may need help, so we gladly agreed." Cosette explained.

"Sorry if I don't talk much. It's... hard getting accustomed to living in another dimension." Zeri said.

"I know that feel." Avan said with a sigh.

"So, it's a three hour trip to the island." Compa said with a look of boredom.

"Yep." Avan spat, sharing her boredom. Two hours pass, and nobody is anywhere near land. However, something isn't right to Andrew, who is on the _Archangel_ 's bridge.

"Admiral, have your men checked the radar recently?" Andrew asked. The admiral thought for a few seconds, before looking at the radar screen.

"Shit, you're right!" the admiral said.

"Admiral, this is the CIC, we have an unknown contact on radar, bearing 4-2-" a man reported via radio.

"I know, Andrew showed it to me." the admiral interrupted.

"Admiral Simmons, this is Commander Halsey aboard the _LFS Kestrel_ , Combat Air Patrol units report unknown contact, verified as a MiG 31 Foxhound, likely on air patrol for Jose's private army." a commander reported.

"Tell the pilot to shoot the damn thing down before he reports our position!" Admiral Simmons ordered.

"Too late for that, sir. CIC just reported an intercepted comm chatter from the unknown." a bridge officer reported. His words did not bode well for Andrew or Admiral Simmons.

"Shit, our situation has just gone pear shaped." Andrew groaned.

"Agreed." Simmons replied before going to fleetwide comms.

"This is Admiral Simmons to all ships in the fleet. An enemy recon plane has just reported our position. Go to Condition Red and be prepared for anything." Simmons ordered, before radioing back to CIC.

"I want a SAM on that fucker before before he reports anything else!" Simmons ordered.

"Right away, sir." the other officer responded.

Avan was standing on the deck, looking across the ocean with Cosette and Zeri, when they heard the SAM launch, which startled them. "A rocket?" Zeri asked, confused. "Surface to Air Missile. Someone must have detected us early, and from the air, too." Avan explained, unnerved.

"How do you know that?" Zeri asked.

"You don't live here for a month without learning a few things. The enemy is likely going to plaster us. Hard." Avan explained again.

* * *

Neptune was looking up at Jose who was still working on paperwork. Some looked like sales of narcotics, others looked like purchase documents for military equipment. Suddenly someone walked up and reported something.

"We've got an incoming force, sir. All four nations have sent a joint strike force arrayed against us." he said. Jose smirked, before rising from his seat and walking to Neptune.

"Something wrong, Master?" Neptune asked, secretly happy to hear the news, yet afraid of what Jose might do.

"It seems your dearly beloved has come for you, and he brought a joint assault force with him." Jose explained in a twisted manner, which sent chills down her spine. Suddenly grabbed Neptune and dragged her back into the cage he had her in the night before.

"You'll be staying in here for the time being. I have a battle to attend, gotta protect my assets." Jose said, and Neptune knew exactly what he meant by "assets." As Jose left, Neptune clenched the bars, fearing for the lives of her friends and, more importantly, Andrew's life.

* * *

forty-five minutes have passed since the SAM launch, and already the _Archangel_ 's CIC makes contact with several inbound forces.

"Admiral, we've got more inbound. Twelve fighters in tight formation, and five ships arrayed against our battle fleet." one of the officers reported.

"Shit!" Andrew yelled. He was getting irritated by Jose's ambitious reaction to the assault.

"We're only fifteen minutes away and the enemy is in position to sink the fleet. We're going to get slaughtered before we make landfall!" an exec spat in frustration. Admiral Simmons picked up the comms and began a fleetwide broadcast.

"This is Admiral Simmons to all ships in the fleet. An enemy force is on route to engage us. Twelve Fighters and five ships arrayed in a formation to block our fleet's path! Everyone, report to action stations immediately. I say again, report to action stations immediately!" Admiral Simmons ordered, before turning to Andrew.

"Can you and the CPUs help us with this? We're not equipped for a fight like this, even with the _Kestrel_." Simmons asked, almost pleaded.

"We'll do what we can." Noire said as she and the other two CPUs and the Candidates walked in.

"Let's go. Neptune's fate, and that of Planeptune, rests with us." Uni shouted. Andrew, the three present CPUs, and the CUP Candidates transform and run out to join the battle. Jumping into the air from the open deck, they joined a flight of F/A-38s in battle. One pilot stood out, however.

"Good to see you again, Bishop." Andrew said.

"You, too. Let's do this!" Bishop shouted. After a quick second, they merged with the enemy aircraft.

"Woooaaah!" one pilot said, shocked as he narrowly avoided a midair collision.

"Those are Su-33s, and they've been painted in some nasty crimson and black. They've got a reaper on their tails, too." another pilot pointed out.

"Holy shit, guys. They're flying like aces!" yet another pilot yelled. One of the Flankers pulled a cobra and quickly got on Bishop's tail, who countered by entering VTOL mode.

"Got a lock... FOX TWO!" Bishop yelled, as a missile fell from the F/A-38's internal bay. The missile tracked, and hit home, but the Su-33 kept flying, though was severely crippled. Bishop simply put the pipper on target and finished it off with the twin 20mm Vulcan Cannons.

Andrew dodged left as a Flanker opened up on him with its guns, and aligned his sword so that it would slice right through as his opponent passed at high speed. The Flanker pilot was unprepared, and he and his plane get sliced in half. A few moments afterward, the bisected plane explodes in a brilliant flash of light.

Uni was firing wildly at another flanker she was chasing, which kept dodging her shots.

"Let me give you a hand!" a pilot called out, who was flying a black F-14D Super Tomcat.

"He's all yours!" Uni responded, flying out of the way. In an instant, the black plane gunned down the enemy.

"Thanks." Uni said with a smile.

"No problem! Now let's finish this, we have a CPU to rescue and not a whole lot of time to do it!" the pilot responded.

* * *

IF was standing on the _Kestrel_ 's flight deck, watching the battle with displeasure. While the battle was even, much of the enemy was too skilled, and the opposing fleet was going to be on top of them at any moment. Looking around, she spotted an X/F-135 Valkur, a prototype carrier fighter from Lastation's military R&D group. She ran over and jumped inside, automatically connecting to the plane's COnnection For Flight INterface system.

 _"Pilot Designation: I F. Priority One Override: Confirmed. All systems, nominal. Tactical Laser: Online. Swarm Missiles: Ready. Tactical Link Systems: Engaged."_ the onboard AI called out as it made checks of all the systems. After a minute, deck crews began to hear the whine of the Valkur's engines as they spun up.

"Wait! Where is she going?!" one of the flight crew members yelled as he ran across the deck, witnessing the prototype fighter taxi to the catapult for launch.

"No! Let her go!" Commander Halsey ordered as the X/F-135 connected to the catapult.

"Alright. Catapult one raising pressure... 80... 90... we're green!" a flight deck officer reported as they prepped the prototype fighter for launch.

"Check catapults! Raise the barriers!" another flight deck officer ordered. After all the checks were done, the much of the flight deck crews moved away from the fighter. A nearby officer gave the "Elvis in Vegas" signal, and the massive fighter lurched forward instantaneously.

* * *

Andrew and Bishop were still engaging the Flankers when they caught a bright flash. As if they thought things were getting weird from stress, the Flanker they were chasing randomly exploded in a massive fireball.

"What was that?!" Andrew shouted. In an instant, what looked like Lastation's prototype fighter passed by them at high speed.

"Who the hell is piloting that thing?!" Noire shouted, trying desperately to avoid another Flanker's gunfire.

"This is IF. I've commandeered the Valkur prototype, and I'm joining you in combat now." IF reported.

"Alright, just be careful with my fighter. That's the only prototype there is, and I don't want to see it destroyed." Noire instructed.

"Got it." IF responded.

"Hey, I'm getting some unencrypted comm chatter from the enemy. Patching it through." a pilot pointed out.

"...Strigon 3, another enemy plane has arrived. He's got some sort of energy weapon, and he's flying very erratically." one of the ace pilots pointed out.

"Looks like Lastation's prototype, but... who's piloting it?" another enemy pilot asked. Suddenly, IF got multiple locks on the enemy planes.

"Shit, I'm being locked!" one enemy pilot shouted.

"So am I!" another enemy pilot shouted in response.

"We all are, what the hell?" yet another yelled.

"There's only seven of us left. If he pulls the trigger..." yet another hypothesized. IF launched the Valkur's swarm missiles at the Flankers, each one tracking clearly.

"Crap! Missiles inbound! Lots of them!" an enemy pilot shouted, almost panicking.

"Dive! Dive! Deploy your flares and go for the deck!" an enemy pilot ordered his compatriot. As one of the Flankers dived down, the few swarm missiles tracking him followed him almost immediately, but then were fooled by countermeasures. However, another enemy plane entered the battlefield at high speed, launching his own swarm missiles at the allied planes.

"Another fighter... a fast one!" Bishop yelled out.

"Attention pilots, this is Admiral Simmons, the enemy fleet will be in range of our missiles in two minutes. Keep the enemy planes off us." Simmons ordered.

"We're doing our best, but it's not enough. We've got another plane in the airspace and he's a fast one, can you track him?" Andrew asked.

"CIC is tracking him now. They say it's a CFA-44." Simmons replied.

"Damn, where does a rich man get all this equipment? And these pilots, too?" one pilot asked.

"From the black market?" the pilot in the black F-14D asked half-sarcastically.

"That's not funny, man. If this keeps up we'll be slaughtered before we make landfall." the previous pilot retorted irritably.

"Enough chit-chat. Let's focus fire on this guy. IF, use that prototype's laser and clear out these flankers." Bishop ordered.

"Already on it." IF replied as she shot the Valkur's laser at another Flanker, which goes up in flames. The CFA-44 fired another round of swarm missiles at the allied planes.

"Missiles inbound, their coming fast again!" a pilot yelled.

"Watch out and hit your countermeasures when necessary. Don't let him hit you." the pilot in the black F-14D instructed.

"Damn, I can't get a solid lock on him!" a pilot cried.

"He must have an Electronic Warfare package on that plane. I can feel the buzz of the jamming on my skin." Noire pointed out.

"This shit just keeps getting better and better." Blanc complained.

"All pilots, enemy ships have entered firing range, and we're launching our missiles now." Simmons said.

"Copy that." IF replied. Below them, long range missiles are launched from the various ships in the fleet, aimed at the five enemy ships. The missiles struck home, though a few were intercepted by enemy point defense weapons, and the five enemy ships were slowly sent to the bottom.

"This is Warwolf 1, I confirm the enemy ships are going to the bottom." Bishop reported.

"Roger, Warwolf. CIC also reports 70% of the air forces have been annihilated. Good work." Simmons replied. Another flash, and another Flanker goes down from a laser strike.

* * *

"Jose, we've lost too many of our forces." the sole surviving Flanker pilot called out.

"Let us pull out. I want to get that son of a bitch when he rescues his girl." Jose, the voice coming from the CFA-44, replied.

"No, sir." the previous pilot argued.

"What?" Jose questioned.

"You go on ahead. I'll stay behind and cover your escape." the other pilot said. There was a moment of silence.

"Your sacrifice will not be forgotten." Jose finally muttered as he pulled back on the stick, turning back to base.

* * *

"Look, sir. The CFA-44 is turning back!" the pilot in the black F-14D reported.

"That's great news!" Andrew sighed, relieved.

"This last Su-33 isn't following him. I think he's trying to cover the other guy's escape." Bishop added.

"IF. Blast that last guy out of the air." Andrew ordered.

"With pleasure." IF responded, a smirk hidden from within her plane's neural interface system, as she turned the Valkur prototype around. A quick yaw to the left and IF pulls the trigger. A hot stream of highly energized electrons blazes towards the Flanker, detonating the highly volatile fuel inside it and turning the plane into a fireball.

"Outstanding work. We have five minutes until landfall, lets land and get your birds refueled and rearmed." Simmons ordered. Andrew and the CPUs and CPU candidates land back on the _Archangel_ , while the carrier planes land on the _Kestrel_.

"You did me proud, IF. Not only did my prototype work perfectly, it was also very effective." Noire complemented. IF simply smiled in reply as she landed the plane on the carrier. Everyone took a short three minute breather, before they reported to the landing ships and helicopters.

* * *

"You ready, Kagami?" Konata asked, gripping her katana lightly, standing on the landing boat that would take them ashore.

"Who said I wasn't?" Kagami retorted. In reality, she was actually a little scared, having seen what was happening in the air.

"Hey. If you're scared, don't worry. We've got your back." Haruhi said confidently. Kagami blushed, but fought off the urge to give a snide remark. Avan and Zeri simply breathed, taking in the calming atmosphere before the coming battle.

* * *

Andrew, Cloud, the Chief, and three Planeptune Security Force soldiers, the former mercenaries, walked onto a Blackhawk chopper, ready for insertion. At the controls were Reno and Rude.

"You guys ready back there?" Reno asked.

"We sure are." Andrew replied.

"All personnel, begin the assault! I say again, begin the assault!" Admiral Simmons ordered. Within minutes, helicopters, landing craft, and amphibious assault vehicles came streaming from the ships, followed by artillery fire from the _Archangel_ that would soften the enemy defenses.

"Alright everyone. The objective is simple. Secure the island and its perimeter, as well as any surrounding islands, and rescue Neptune from Jose's private estate. Make your kills quick and clean, and do your best not to get killed yourself. Remember that the fate of Planeptune rests with us. If Planeptune falls, so does the rest of Gamindustri. That is all." Andrew instructed to the assault force via radio.

"Fixer, here. Delta squad is en route, we're awaiting your signal." Fixer reported.

"Glad to hear you, too, Fixer. You're clear to begin your operations as soon as you land. Meet up with my team outside the main entryway of the estate, and we'll begin breaching." Andrew instructed. The helicopter quickly lurched left as it avoided an RPG. Andrew sighed as he saw the RPG fly past the Blackhawk harmlessly. Without orders, one of the PSF soldiers ran to the minigun on the side of the door and began firing on the enemy.

"Good thinking, soldier. Tear those mercs apart!" Andrew said. As the minigun belched its fire, other Blackhawks joined in the serenade of gunfire, pelting Jose's private army from above. Passing by at high speed was the black F-14D Super Tomcat from earlier, followed by three F/A-38s, which dropped anti-personnel and anti-armor munitions on enemy positions.

"Enemy AA has been knocked out, Eagle 1, you're clear to make your drop." the pilot of the F-14D reported.

"Roger that, beginning landing." Reno responded as they approached the LZ. Reno gradually tilted the Blackhawk's nose up and brought the helo to a standstill, before slowly decending, to which the soldier on the minigun left his position.

"Alright, go! Let's get this done!" Andrew shouted as the front wheels of the helicopter touched the ground, and the group on the Blackhawk ran off for their objective.

"Good luck, people, we'll see you at the estate." Reno called out as the last of the group on the helo jumped off and he flew off for the battlecruiser.

"The estate's roughly 10 klicks from our position, and there is plenty of enemy infantry between us and the objective." Cortana calculated.

"That's a lot of ground to cover, and plenty of bullets to spend." one of the PSF soldiers mused.

* * *

Neptune was still sitting in the cage she was locked in, able to hear the echoes of battle as they found their way inside the empty basement.

"Be careful, Andrew. Don't get yourself killed." Neptune muttered.

* * *

"Return fire!" Avan shouted to a group of PSF soldiers as they come under fire from an enemy unit, bringing up his M-8C to fire on them as well. A Eurocopter Tiger rolled over, providing its own support.

"This is shooter, you look like you guys could use some support." The Tiger pilot announced.

"Go for it, Shooter." Zeri replied on the radio, before raising an AK-12 against the enemy. Above them, the Tiger flew a quick 270 degree turn, attacking the enemy from a different angle with the chaingun and unguided rockets. While smoke and dust filled the air in front of them, they could feel a rather low vibration, followed by metallic clanking and the sound of a high performance engine. Behind them, a futuristic-looking heavy tank rolled onto them, before coming to a stop. the gun didn't fire, however. Before anyone could react, the hatch opened, and David Mason poked his head through.

"Hey, boys!" David said.

"Section? Man is it good to see you!" Avan shouted.

"You too, Avan. Need a ride?" he asked. With a friendly smile, Avan and Zeri climbed aboard the tank. The PSF soldiers joined them inside, in a back room with seats on the walls. In a slight jolt, the vehicle started moving forward.

* * *

Konata was slicing a mercenary to bits, while Haruhi used psionic attacks against a group that was attempting to break their left flank.

"Damn it, we're getting surrounded!" a Lastation Military soldier yelled as a mercenary rushed in along the right flank.

"Come on, Kagami, do something!" Konata shouted as she beheaded another mercenary. Instantly, Kagami began chanting something in Latin, holding up her staff. The sky became black, and a violent electrical storm bombarded the highly energetic enemy force they were up against. As a large percentage of the enemy infantry was fried, the few remaining mercenaries made a tactical retreat.

"Remind me never to piss you off, Kagami." the Lastation Military soldier muttered as the storm cleared. Kagami simply smiled in reply.

* * *

Andrew and Cloud were busy slicing through enemy infantry as they ran for the estate. The Chief was right behind them, firing his MA5C assault rifle. Andrew panted as the last of the enemy group they were facing was sliced in half.

"Why does this island... have such a presence?" he moaned, panting heavily.

"I'm beginning to wonder that myself." Cortana said.

"How much further?" a PCF soldier asked as he wiped sweat off his brow.

"We've got about seven klicks to go." Cortana estimated.

"That's still too far. It'd take us until nightfall before we make it with this kind of enemy presence!" the PSF soldier complained.

"Which is why I've called for some wheels." Cortana mused.

"What kind of wheels?" Cloud asked.

"You'll see." Cortana replied. Before anyone could sigh in relief, a group of three T-95 main battle tanks rolled toward them, firing their main gun wildly as they rolled.

"Let's hope they get here fast." Andrew said as he transformed.

"This Jose guy sure is playing all his cards." a PSF soldier muttered loudly as he ducked into a trench.

"We'll deal with them, just get your heads down." Cloud instructed as he raised his massive blade. They ran into the fray, Cloud chopping HEAT rounds as he ran. Jumping into the air, Andrew sliced a large portion of the barrel off, before bisecting the rest of the tank. Andrew ran to the next one, and activated Dimension Blitz on it, slicing it into several pieces as Cloud finished with the third. They walked away as the tanks exploded behind them.

"That was nice." Cortana complimented. Cloud and Andrew simply nodded. Above them the loud roar of Pelican dropships could be heard. They quickly dropped altitude, before dropping something and retreating from the airspace.

"A tank?" a PCF soldier asked as he looked at three futuristic main battle tanks armed with railguns, missile launchers, and 40mm coax machine guns.

"Indeed. Planeptune rolled these out of the factories just last year. Plenty of firepower and space enough for a small squad of soldiers. They'll work for this assault." Histoire said via radio from the _Archangel_.

"Thanks for the rides, Histoire." Andrew said.

"No problem! Now go and get Neptune and come back safe!" Histoire replied. As they climbed in and fired the tanks up, they spotted more enemy tanks on the horizon.

"More tanks. Let's see what this baby can do!" Andrew said with a smirk. The turret rotated, and in a loud roar the railgun fired. The high energy slug burst through an enemy tank, tearing it apart instantly. "Nice!" Andrew said with a nod. The three tanks ran at full speed toward the target, firing on the enemy as they rolled.

* * *

Nepgear and Uni were busy, on their way to the north end of the estate to secure it.

"That's too much open ground..." Uni mused.

"Yea... and no sign of the enemy... this scares me." Nepgear muttered as they continued.

"Alpha group should be close to the objective by now." a Lowee Military field officer reported. Nepgear simply sighed as they ran across the field.

* * *

Section and Avan were still en route for their objective, the docks, firing the railgun of the tank on any enemy unit that got in their way.

"Man! Planeptune's new tank is a beast!" Avan shouted over the sound of the railgun as it fired on an enemy bunker.

"You got that right!" Section agreed. A few enemy soldiers ran at the tank. Grabbing a control stick, Zeri mowed them down with the 40mm coax. Above them, the Eurocopter Tiger flew circles around the enemy, firing its chain gun at as it passed key enemy strong points.

"Alpha and Bravo groups are four miles from the estate. Charlie and Delta groups report three miles away. The battle is going well." Histoire reported to all the units on the battlefield.

"Copy that." they heard Konata say on the radio in response.

"The enemy has become completely disorganized. It's only a matter of time before they collapse entirely." a field officer reported.

* * *

As they continued on to the estate, Andrew felt a mix of dread and relief.

"Two miles to the estate." Cortana said. As the minutes pass, the estate comes up into view.

"We've got the estate in our view. From here on out, we go by foot." Andrew said as everyone got out of the tanks.

"Alpha team to Bravo, Charlie, and Delta, report in." Andrew called out.

"Bravo team has arrived and is on standby." Nepgear reported.

"Charlie team on standby." Fixer reported.

"Delta team, awaiting orders." an officer reported.

"Alright. We've arrived at the estate. Begin the charge on my signal." Andrew ordered as he prepared a flare.

"Copy." everyone else replied in unison. After five minutes, Andrew pulls the trigger and the flare rockets up. At that moment, all four groups stormed the estate.

"Get in there!" Fixer ordered as Scorch laid down a breaching charge on a thick window.

"Charge set!" Scorch shouted, gunfire whizzing all around as the guards are dealt with.

"Blow the charge!" Andrew ordered. Scorch hits the detonator, and the charge detonates, taking the whole pane of extra thick glass with it. Immediately after the charge was blown, a few mercenaries ran out, only to be cut down by Delta Squad's DC-17s. After a full minute, the estate perimeter was established.

"Everyone! Into the building!" Nepgear ordered. Andrew led the charge inside. Two mercs stood in their way, but were quickly wiped out with gunfire from behind. One of Jose's officers cowered in the corner.

"Detain that man." Fixer ordered. A few PCF soldiers walked up to him and grabbed him, slapping handcuffs on him.

"Where's Neptune?" Nepgear asked him.

"B-basement." the man stammered.

"Thank you. Take him away. Everyone, check and clear every room. Fixer, I'll need your chain cutters, just in case she's chained to a wall down there." Andrew instructed.

"Copy!" everyone responded, while Fixer tossed him the chain cutters. Andrew turned and went down the stairs, kicking down the basement door.

* * *

"Andrew?!" Neptune shouted as Andrew walked inside.

"Neptune!" Andrew shouted in reply as he ran to the cage.

"I'll get you out of there, don't worry." Andrew said as he pulled out his chain cutters and started to break the padlock on the cage door. With a loud snap, the padlock breaks, and Andrew opened the cage door. Neptune ran out and hugged him tightly.

"I missed you so much!" Neptune said.

"I missed you too, love." Andrew responded.

"It was horrible! They put this HDD inhibitor on my neck, and my master forced me to do all sorts of work! I hated it! I hated it all!" Neptune shouted, crying.

"It's okay, now, Neptune. I'm here for you now. Let's get you home." Andrew said in a smoothing tone. Before they could leave, however, someone walked up behind them and stuck a rapier in Andrew's face.

"M-master?" Neptune asked, frightened. Andrew turned around and saw Jose standing there with a rapier in his hands.

"On your feet." Jose ordered. Andrew stood up, and was about to grab his sword when Jose poked his cheek with his rapier, drawing blood. "Ngh!" Andrew groaned, trying to resist the pain.

"I knew from the moment that my adviser told me about the attack that you would be coming." Jose spat. "I am Jose Carter. Leader of the organization Heaven's Bane." Jose announced himself.

"Why are you keeping her a slave?" Andrew demanded.

"That's not your concern. Now you will die." Jose said. He raised his blade and was about to strike.

"NOOOOO!" Neptune shouted. In an instant, Jose stopped his attack.

"If you kill him, you'll have to kill me, too!" Neptune shouted. Jose turned around and stabbed Neptune's right hand, and she screamed in pain.

"NO!" Andrew shouted. Jose laughed almost maddeningly as she continued to scream.

"Think about it. You don't want to see each other suffer." Jose mused as he withdrew his blade from her hand. He then suddenly pushed it slowly into Andrew's left arm.

"Stop!" Neptune shouted, on the verge of more tears. Jose then practically ripped his blade out.

"Boy oh boy, do I enjoy seeing you cry Neptune. Your tears are like a heavenly sound to me." Jose said gleefully.

"You... sick... bastard..." Andrew said, trying to fight the pain.

"Savor it while it lasts, kid. It's only going to get a lot worse." Jose laughed as he turned towards Neptune, undoing the zipper on his trousers.

"What are you... No!" Andrew shouted. Neptune was backing up, trying to avoid the coming rape. When Jose wasn't paying attention, Andrew transformed.

"JOSE!" he shouted furiously, gripping his sword and shield tightly.

"Ah, so you finally did it." Jose said as he turned back around, raising his sword.

"I won't let you hurt her ANYMORE!" Andrew shouted. At once, both of them swung their swords at each other. Jose, however, made a tactical mistake as his rapier hit Andrew's shield. In a flash, Andrew's sword went through Jose, who staggered. "Lucky... hit."Jose coughed.

"I'm taking Neptune out of here and bringing her home. Get out of my way or I WILL kill you!" Andrew ordered. There was silence for a little bit.

"You win this time, Purple Shield. I will return soon." Jose said with a laugh as he burst through the grate separating the basement from the outside world. Andrew sighed, as he transformed back to his human form and activated the radio.

"Eagle One, this is Andrew. I've rescued Neptune. Bring Cosette and Compa, she's been wounded." he said. "Roger that. We're on our way." Reno said back. Andrew took his hand off his ear and took Neptune's hand.

"Let's get you home, okay?" Andrew asked. Neptune hugged him tightly again, crying after the ordeal she went through.

* * *

Outside of the estate, the assault team walked around cleaning up bodies and rounding up prisoners, when they looked on with a smile as Andrew and Neptune walked outside.

"NEPTUUUNE!" Nepgear screamed as she ran up to them, ready to embrace her sister. With her arms spread out wide, Nepgear almost fell on top of Neptune. That was when she noticed the blood coming off of her sister and Andrew as Nepgear embraced Neptune.

"What happened in there?" Nepgear asked.

"It was Jose. He seemed to have been waiting for me in there." Andrew explained. To the right, the Blackhawk landed, and Compa and Cosette came running out to check on Neptune.

"Oh dear..." Compa said as she looked at Neptune's hand.

"Andrew looks pretty beaten up too." Cosette explained as the four of them went onto the blackhawk for extraction. As the helicopter went up into the air, Compa and Cosette treated their wounds with gentle care. It was then that Compa asked about the strange collar Neptune was wearing.

"HDD Inhibitor." was all Neptune would say in response. Her face was still pretty long.

"Don't be sad, Neptune. When we get back to the basilicom, you'll have a feast of my yummy pudding." Compa declared. Neptune simply smiled, though it was a half-assed attempt.

"Thanks, Compa." Neptune replied.

"Give her some time, she's been through a lot." Andrew suggested. The rest of the ride to the _Archangel_ was silent. The landing was smooth as silk, and Histoire and IF were waiting for them as they got off.

"Nice to see you again, Neptune." Histoire said with a smile.

"You too, Histy." was all Neptune could say.

"Let's get you to Andrew's cabin." IF said, with a smile.

"Before I forget, Neptune, one of your hairpieces." Andrew said as he handed the oversized D-pad to her. Seeing it made Neptune smile, almost the same way she did before she was kidnapped. Neptune simply took it and put it back in her hair as she walked back inside the ship.

* * *

Neptune rested on Andrew's bed while he filled out the report on today's mission. It was only a mere ten minutes before Andrew finished the report and handed it to Histoire for archiving. Andrew was getting tired as he returned to his cabin and lied down with Neptune, before clicking the lightswitch. The large battlecruiser had left the fleet, returning to Planeptune with Neptune on board. As Neptune slept, she had felt secure in her lover's arms for the first time in two days. Neptune smile had fully returned by now, as she enjoyed her freedom. She was bummed, however, that they couldn't get the HDD inhibitor off until they returned to the basilicom due to its unusual construction. After a good three hours, they were getting hungry, and went down to the mess hall for some dinner.

It was already sunset, as Andrew could tell from the orange skies. As they entered the mess hall, he noticed his successful rescue of Neptune had become the talk of the whole crew, and were celebrating that and the successful capture of the islands. As Andrew looked around, he noticed Admiral Simmons motioning them over to his table. Taking him up on his offer, Andrew guided Neptune over to the table.

"Glad to see you two up and about again." was all that Simmons had said, offering some food, which turned out to be grilled salmon, to the two of them. "While you were out, we had gotten reports that the assault force had taken the island." Simmons added.

"That's good to hear, Admiral." Andrew said with a friendly smile.

"Oh, I hadn't eaten anything in two days..." Neptune groaned as she chomped on a mouthful of salmon.

"Almost starved in there..." Andrew muttered, feeling sorry for her. After five minutes, Neptune cleaned her plate and felt stuffed. Simmons and Andrew simply sighed simultaneously. Andrew began to look somewhat distant.

"Something the matter?" Neptune asked.

"Sorry, I've been thinking about Jose. He said he'd be back, and it gives me chills just thinking where he might pop up and what he might do next." Andrew explained. Neptune sighed in reply. After a quick drink of water, Andrew and Neptune went out to the open deck to enjoy the weather.

* * *

The air was still warm as the sun set behind the horizon, and the orange sky quickly became a black canvas littered with stars and other things. Andrew and Neptune were sitting on a bench, simply enjoying their newfound time together, looking at the stars, a loving smile plastered on their faces. IF walked out and joined them, a glass of fine wine in her hand.

"Enjoying yourselves?" IF asked.

"Yea." Neptune said.

"You know, before we first met, I used to take the little free time I had and enjoy things like this." IF said, talking about the night sky. Andrew was gingerly holding Neptune's wounded hand.

"Everyone else should be returning tomorrow morning. Compa wants to throw a celebratory party back at the Basilicom in honor of her rescue." IF explained.

"I hear you, Iffy." Neptune said. As they sat in silence, Andrew and Neptune looked at each other, before giving each other the kiss that they've missed since her kidnapping. IF checked her wristwatch.

"It's about eight o'clock now. We should arrive in Planeptune soon, so let's get ready to disembark." IF said. Andrew and Neptune break their kiss and return to their cabin. After about twenty minutes, they, along with their friends, received the order to disembark. Following that order, they walked down the gangway and arrived at what appeared to be a limo, escorted by PSF armored vehicles. It was a short ride back to the Basilicom.

* * *

As they entered their room, Neptune said she wanted to sleep until morning with a pretty hefty yawn. Andrew smiled as he put his stuff down and moved her gear to a nearby chair. Afterwards, Andrew climbed in bed with Neptune and slept till morning. In Neptune's dream, however, Jose never really seemed to leave, though oftentimes her dream involved Jose getting beaten to a pulp in different scenarios. Cradling Andrew in her arms, however, allowed her to bear the pain.

Morning came and the two of them woke up. Neptune wanted to change back into her regular attire, so Andrew left to give her privacy. After two minutes, Neptune walked back out looking like her old self, other than the HDD inhibitor that was still around her neck.

"Nepgear said that she will be back momentarily with a package that should help remove the lock on that inhibitor, Nep." IF reported.

"Thanks, Iffy." Neptune replied with a smile. Neptune knew she could rely on her sister and her tinkering to come up with some sort of device that will break the lock. They walked out into the living room and sat where they sat before. After about two minutes, Nepger walked in with her "package," an electromagnetic key co-developed by her and one of Planeptune's best scientists who studied a similar inhibitor collar. Nepgear walked behind Neptune and stuck the device up to her collar and pushed a button. With a buzz, the whole inhibitor shut down, and was able to be removed with ease.

"Well, everyone. Let's head outside to the back and enjoy ourselves. The others should arrive shortly." IF said.

* * *

Everyone went out to the back, and noticed that the large field had at least a dozen tables. Ten seconds later, the rest of the CPUs, Avan, Zeri, and pretty much every other designated officer from the previous day's assault showed up, some of them holding bags.

"Well, let's get this party started." Noire said. As the day progressed, the Media showed up and covered the event. Nobody thought anything of Jose Carter at all that day. All everyone did was have a good time, sharing stories of the previous battle, and all that. The next day, Carlos J Xaldren was put on trial for conspiring to kidnap and enslave the CPU of Planeptune, which are two of a list of capital offenses. The jury found him guilty, and Andrew and Neptune discussed what the punishment should be. They eventually agreed on death by firing squad.

* * *

"My soul shall leave this world. While I am not ashamed of what I have done, I won't forget what you have done for me in ending that miserable place." Carlos muttered as Andrew led him to the wall. Andrew couldn't say anything in return as he walked behind the firing squad.

"Attention!" Andrew shouted, and the five men chosen raised their arms to their chests.

"Raise arms!" Andrew shouted again, and the men aimed their sights on the man they were going to kill for his crimes. A short pause ensued.

"Fire!" Andrew ordered. In a short second, the five men fired on their target, and Carlos lie dead on the ground.

"Weapons safe!" Andrew ordered, and the men lowered their weapons, before a cleanup crew took the body. Andrew didn't question whether or not the death penalty was the right choice, knowing there wasn't a right or wrong answer. Andrew was just glad that Neptune was free, and safe from further harm. As Andrew walked back to the Basilicom, Jeromy talked to him psychically.

"You've done well rescuing her from that man, but he's not finished. This war against him is just getting started. Hold her close, and guard her. Remember the path that you walk. While we may hate each other, we are still joined by the knowledge that evil is still held at bay." Jeromy said.

Andrew, knowing what every word his brother said meant, simply replied "Thank you" to his twin brother. Neptune may be safe, but other attacks may come later. All they must do is prepare.

END OF EPISODE ONE OF "THE NEPTUNIA CHRONICLES."

-Author's Notes-

This first chapter may seem a lot different than it did when I first published it. I made continuity changes and several other fixes to account for otherwise bad grammar, blocky structuring, and "mistaken identity" about my original character, Andrew Hawker, being a "self insert." It may still need work, but at least it is readable.

That's all! Stay cool, and keep on Nepping! C'ya Later!


	2. A Brand New War

RECAP:

Last time on The Neptunia Chronicles; Neptune, the CPU of the nation of Planeptune, was kidnapped and enslaved by a criminal organization, known as Heaven's Bane, led by the mysterious crime lord Jose Carter. Andrew Hawker, the Paladin-Knight of Planeptune, went after her, followed by a group of special forces from Leanbox and the Lastation Military. As a rich and powerful organization, Heaven's Bane had plenty of mercenaries and black market military hardware under their command. The heroes managed to get necessary intel, and the four nations banded together to create an invasion force against Jose Carter's army on the isles west of Planeptune. The rescue invasion and rescue mission did not go as planned, as Jose, brandishing a rapier, left both Neptune and Andrew with minor, but painful wounds, and escaped.

* * *

 **The Neptunia Chronicles**

 **A Brand New War**

It had been two weeks since Neptune was first kidnapped from the Basilicom, and already the wound on her hand has formed into a painful scar. Andrew was just glad that she was home safe. That didn't mean, however, that he was on edge. Just this morning, Jose Carter, Neptune's former master, declared war on the CPUs and their nations, and simultaneously launched skirmishes along the Planeptune-Lastation border with his mercenaries. a group of Blackhawks from Lastation was already on the scene by this point, trying to put down the enemy.

* * *

"We're approaching the target! Gunner, get ready to give them steel rain!" a Blackhawk pilot announced as they flew over a desert plateau along the border.

Next to the gunner, a Sergeant played "Rebirth From Sandstorm" from the Ace Combat Assault Horizon soundtrack on an MP3 player docked to a radio. The gunner on the chopper, Corporal Lance Kennedy, laughed with the choice of music as he set himself up on the door-mounted minigun. Two other Blackhawks roared next to them as they flew in formation, followed by two Ka-50 Hokums for heavy support.

"You know the objectives, boys. We go out here, hammer the shit out of Jose's mercenary forces, then return in time for lunch. Lady Black Heart will award any one of us for bravery and performance on this mission, so do your best out there. Now, split up and take them out." a Hokum pilot called out, his HMD controlling the chain gun of the attack helicopter as he flew around. Ahead of them, a dust cloud formed where the enemy was preparing to launch another skirmish.

"There they are! Fire away, comrades!" the other Hokum pilot shouted in a somewhat thick Russian accent. At that moment, all three Blackhawks began firing on the enemy, supported by the Hokums as they launched rockets at high threats like mobile AA guns and mercenaries with Stinger missiles. By this point the music on the radio behind Lance picked up, and he felt like he was actually a character in the video game this song came from. Laughing at himself for this, Lance picked his targets carefully, and fired on trucks, tanks and infantry.

"Heads up boys, the enemy's got a choppah with them." a Blackhawk pilot said in a very thick Boston accent, sounding almost similar to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Seeing the threat, Lance ceased his fire on the enemy below, and fired on an approaching Mi-24 Hind.

"Got'ya, motherf-!" Lance shouted as the enemy Hind burst into flames and fell on a small group of mercenaries below. The Blackhawk shuddered as the shockwave from the impact rocked it. Though the black helicopter remained stable, it was enough for Lance to lose focus for a short moment, before he returned his fire to the enemy below.

"Nice one, Corporal!" the Sergeant shouted with joy and laughter behind him as he witnessed Lance's handiwork below. As they finish their pass, the Hokums and Blackhawks make a U-turn, before firing on the enemy again.

"Keep going, boys. We've gotten a good number of them." the first Hokum pilot said as a good 60% of the enemy went up in smoke. This second run, Lance caught a glimpse of another Hind about to take off.

"Another Hind, and he's about to take off. I've got him!" Lance shouted, before he opened up on the Hind below. As the Mi-24 below them lifted up from the ground. a stray bullet from Lance's minigun tore a hole in the rotor linkage and disabled the tail rotor, sending it spinning out of control and straight into the ground on top of a lone tank.

"Great shot!" another gunner shouted. Lance was feeling pretty lucky today as he racked up his kills. His luck was about to run out, however, as an RPG hit the tail of another Blackhawk, breaking it clean off. The Blackhawk spun out of control the same way the Hind did a few minutes ago, but the pilot was able to regain control just before it hit the ground.

"This is Crow Nine-Four, We've been hit and are down. We've got mercs closing in on our position, requesting support!" the pilot of the downed Blackhawk shouted. As if by instinct, the Hokums converged on the downed helicopter and fired at the approaching mercenary forces. Lance simply watched as the enemy fell left and right, but he knew it wasn't enough. There was still a good 30% of the enemy left and they had quite a large buildup of forces for simple skirmishes.

"Pilot. Position this hunk of metal directly above the downed Blackhawk, I need to get a decent shot!" Lance ordered as the enemy got dangerously close.

"Hey, I'm not sure that's a good id-" the pilot said with a hint of shock.

"DO IT!" Lance shouted, interrupting the pilot. With a sigh that can be heard over the radio, the pilot maneuvered the Blackhawk over the the downed helicopter. As he did, Lance opened fire on the enemy. The sudden action caught several mercenaries off guard, who then focused their attention on Lance as he slowly tore through the enemy ranks. One mercenary shot an RPG at the marauding Blackhawk, but Lance immediately destroyed the projectile with the minigun before killing the merc who shot at them. Over two minutes, Lance did more as a stationary target than as a moving one. With his help, the team finished the enemy off as the music on the radio finished.

"Hey, Crow Six-Two. That was some quick thinking up there. You saved our lives." the pilot of the downed Blackhawk said, his relief and gratitude on display.

"Your welcome, Nine-Four. But it was Corporal Lance who made the order. Not a good move on his part, but I won't complain." the pilot of the hovering Blackhawk explained.

"Bah! That's nothing we don't know! Not only does he deserve the recognition and commendation from Lady Black Heart, he also deserves a bloody promotion!" the gunner of the downed helicopter shouted with an Australian accent. With that in mind, a lot of people began laughing in celebration of their close victory.

"I can arrange for that." a feminine voice answered on the radio, a hint of happiness and congratulation bleeding through.

"Lady Black Heart. What can we do for you?" one of the Hokum pilots asked.

"Nothing more from you. We've sent an extraction team for Crow Nine-Four. Go ahead and return home. We'll have a little Welcome Home party at the Basilicom for our hero." Noire ordered in happy demeanor.

"By our honor, Lady Black Heart. Alright boys, we've heard the lady, time to head back home." the pilot of the hovering Blackhawk said as he pulled away. As Lance stowed the mounted minigun and closed the door, the Sergeant behind him gave a friendly punch on his shoulder with a slight laugh. Obviously, Lance's heroics brought everyone to high spirits. After thirty minutes, they landed in Lastation.

"Home Sweet Home, baby!" Lance said as he stretched his arms and legs out, before getting out of the helicopter.

"I wish you can say that again. Been almost a month since I've seen the grand city up close." The Sergeant, the light identifying him as Avery Johnson, said. The sunlight accentuated his black face, mustache, and olive green armor, though he showed a look of longing and homesickness.

"Where are you from anyway, Sarge?" Lance asked.

"Leanbox, really. Was raised there and trained in their Spec Ops division. With the war against Jose and his Mercs, I got transferred here for the tine being. And boy do I miss some good buddies of mine." Johnson explained.

"Buddies? Like who?" Lance asked as he slung his helmet over his shoulder.

"The Chief, David Mason, and a few members of Delta Squad." Johnson replied.

"Oh those guys. I heard they were deployed in Planeptune after their CPU got kidnapped and sold to Jose. The rumor is they helped Purple Shield bring down the slave market and eventually rescue her. This was two weeks or so ago, and I have yet to know if the story is true or not." Lance said in an effort to make the Sergeant smile. Johnson did smile, but not in the way that Lance expected him to.

"Such is their skill and expertise. Glad to know they were a help. Still, I wish I could see them again." Johnson said wishfully.

"That chance might come sooner than you think. Our ride's here." Lance explained with a smile, trying to cheer Johnson up.

"You might be right. Hell, I think I can consider you an equal after that stunt you pulled up there." Johnson said happily. In front of them was a limousine that was to take them to Lastation's Basilicom.

* * *

"You ready, honey?" Neptune asked as she walked into the bedroom from the bathroom where she changed, wearing her best dress. They had gotten the message to join Noire in Lastation for a celebratory banquet and ceremony for a certain hero who had apparently risked his own life and the lives of those in his Blackhawk helicopter to stop enemy forces and protect comrades who had to make a crash landing in the desert.

"Just about." Andrew said as he was pulling his shoes on. Afterwards, he checked his pocket watch, before looking up at Neptune. When gazing upon her, Andrew's eyes sparkled like fireworks on a moonlit night.

"You look beautiful." Andrew said sharply with a smile on his face as he stood up.

"You think so?" Neptune asked, a smile forming on her face as well.

"Yea. Brings back memories." Andrew replied. Neptune knew exactly what he meant by memories. She knew Andrew was referring to their wedding during the crisis with Arfoire and Momus. Neptune simply smiled back happily as she wrapped her arm around Andrew's, almost forgetting the painful scar on her hand. As they left the bedroom, they were greeted with the sight of some of their friends dressed nicely, though the Chief stood out like an olive drab thumb with gold nail polish as he was still wearing his MJOLNIR armor.

"You look nice." Cortana said.

"Thanks." both Neptune and Andrew said at the same time. After ten minutes, they entered the courtyard, where a VTOL business jet awaited them.

"That's our ride?" Cortana asked, slightly puzzled.

"Oh, yes. I've seen this baby before." David Mason said with amusement. Everyone climbed in and sat down. The business jet seemed quite fancy, as if it were meant as a private plane for someone.

"This is nice." IF mused.

"Yessy. Everything looks so lavish." Compa agreed, before looking towards Histoire who had chosen to come with them.

"Histy, are you sure you're okay sitting, or rather floating, in this thing? We're bound to hit some turbulence." Neptune asked, pretty much stealing Compa's thunder.

"Yes, I'm fine." Histoire said. "How's your hand, by the way?" she added out of concern, and both Neptune and Andrew knew why.

"Still hurts." Neptune said with a sigh as she gingerly touched the scar on her right hand. At that moment, everyone heard whining as the two engines started up. After about three minutes the plane lifted up into the air. As the plane oriented itself, Histoire was directed into a wall, but was caught by Mason.

"We really need to find a way for you to stick better to moving platforms." Mason said with a palm in his face. Histoire could only nod her head.

* * *

"What do you mean, killed in combat?!" Jose yelled on the phone. He was livid, having heard that his assault force was wiped out.

"That's just it, sir. A flight of helicopters from Lastation came in and tore through our ranks." the guy on the other end said. Jose looked like he was ready to explode, having wasted all that money on those men and equipment for them to be slaughtered like pigs in a meat grinder. It suddenly dawned on him that, since he still had some men under his command, he could attack Lastation directly, and perhaps capture a CPU. Surely that would be the catalyst needed for Neptune to come running back and submitting herself to him. After that, he could capture Purple Shield himself and use him as leverage.

"Sir?" the man on the other line asked, breaking the silence.

"Assemble whatever reserves we have into an assault force. I want to attack Lastation directly. No convoys, just Lastation proper. Maybe we can capture ourselves a CPU and get my prize girl back in the process." Jose ordered. At that moment, both men on the line started laughing.

* * *

It was 40 minutes since they left Planeptune, and already Neptune had fallen asleep on Andrew's shoulder. Andrew glanced at her every now and then, though he mostly looked out the window next to him. They were sitting in the front two seats, which looked like a typical row of seats compared to the rest of the seating on the craft. As Andrew gingerly held Neptune's left hand, he noticed plumes of smoke where the previous battle had taken place.

'Damn!' Andrew thought as he saw the smoke rise from the distant desert plateau.

"We'll be arriving in Lastation shortly." the pilot of the VTOL announced. The plane took a slight lurch as it began to slow down for approach.

"I may never get used to flying in a VTOL aircraft..." Andrew muttered. To the right, Lastation's Basilicom appeared into view, and they made a right turn towards it. As they approached the Basilicom, Neptune almost instinctly opened her eyes as they slowed to a crawl. Within a minute, they touched down on a landing pad connected to the Basilicom, and everyone disembarked the aircraft. What surprised them was the fact that Noire, the hero they were celebrating for, and someone else, were waiting for them.

"Johnson?!" Mason, the Chief, and Cortana shouted in unison.

"Heeey!" one of the people in front of them shouted in reply.

"See, I told you you'd see them again." the other man said with a friendly smile. Noire walked up to Neptune and Andrew, a smile on her face.

"How's the hand?" Noire asked sympathetically.

"Still hurts, but it doesn't bleed anymore." Neptune replied with a somewhat shallow smile. Noire could only smile back. Andrew looked over at the man who they were here for.

"So you're the hero Noire told us about?" Andrew asked.

"Yes, sir. Corporal Lance Kennedy of the Lastation Military, Airborne Assault Division, at your service." the man introduced himself.

"Andrew Hawker, Neptune's husband and the Paladin-Knight of Planeptune." Andrew introduced. The words made Lance jump back in shock. "I-Is something wrong?" Andrew stammered.

"N-No, sir. I just thought that, never in my life I would meet the Paladin-Knight himself face to face." Lance explained, almost fumbling with his words. "It is truly an honor to meet you, Purple Shield." Lance concluded humbly. Andrew simply laughed.

"Thanks for the formalities, Corporal." Andrew said as he shook Lance's hand. It was at this moment that Lance noticed the scar on Andrew's face. "You're looking at the scar, aren't you?" Andrew asked, slightly confused.

"Yea..." Lance replied meekly.

"I got this scar when I was fighting Jose a couple weeks ago while rescuing Neptune." Andrew explained.

"So the rumors... that you and that team of Leanbox Spec Ops went after Neptune following her kidnapping..." Lance muttered.

"All true." Andrew confirmed, though he seemed rather distant. Lance could only nod in reply as he thought about the answer.

"I know you're still worried about Neptune." a feminine voice said. Andrew turned around and saw Histoire riding atop her book again, showing sympathy for him.

"Yea... She had been through a lot that time. It shows in her personality, and she still has nightmares sometimes. I doubt that she will ever recover from these scars." Andrew said, explaining to Histoire what has been going on in the girl's mind since her rescue two weeks ago.

"I... I see." Histoire replied. She, too, looked genuinely worried for Neptune. Histoire noticed Lance somewhat tearing up behind Andrew.

"I hadn't known that she would be affected so badly by her experience." Lance said in a tone that read sadness.

"Well, now you know. Life as a slave is never easy, no matter who's point of view you are looking at. Living in constant fear of your master, worried that you might do something to upset him greatly and bring physical pain on yourself or, dare I say, someone you love. Take that with homesickness and self disdain, and you're life becomes a living, ceaseless nightmare. The dimension I originated from has seen plenty of slaves despite slavery being banned by the international community, and this world, apparently, is no different." Andrew explained.

"You know Jose will try to take her back. Because according to him, she is still legally his property. Never lose sight of her, and keep her close." a voice said in Andrew's head. The voice sounded an awful lot like Axel, a member of Organization XIII who had sacrificed himself for Neptune and the other heroes in the closing moments of the crisis against Arfoire as they crossed the Rainbow Bridge to Celestia. Hearing his voice again, Andrew's smile returned to his face.

"Andrew? Why the sudden smile?" Histoire asked confused.

"I heard that voice again. Axel. And this time he told me to keep Neptune close, because obviously Jose won't be giving up on her." Andrew explained. His words made Histoire nod, realizing what he had meant.

"Everyone's gone inside, we should go as well." Neptune said as she walked up and grabbed Andrew's hand, before leading him inside the Basilicom. Lance and Histoire stayed behind for a moment, contemplating the dark times that have befallen them, before following the Purple Duo inside.

* * *

The feast was quite lavish. Joining Noire was a top general of the Lastation Military.

"Ah, Corporal Lance!" the general shouted happily as Lance and Histoire entered the dining hall.

"General Montgomery, it's a pleasure seeing you again." Lance mused as he took his seat beside Johnson.

"Aye, it is! I've got a bone to pick with you!" Montgomery laughed. Lance only laughed with him as they ate. It was a fifteen minutes later that Noire spoke up, tapping on a wineglass with her spoon to quiet down the people present.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I know you are having fun." Noire began. "However let us not forget who we are here for. Let me dedicate this feast to Lance Kennedy of the Lastation Military." she continued, followed by applause. As if by instinct, Lance stood up from his seat and walked over to Noire, who also stood up. "Corporal Kennedy, By my right and word as the Goddess of Lastation, I hereby award you the Black Heart's Cross for outstanding bravery and showmanship in the face of danger and adversity." Noire said as she pinned the highly esteemed medal on Lance's lapel, followed by a salute. After the applause calmed down, Montgomery stood up as well.

"I'd like to say a few words as well." Montgomery began. All eyes were on him this time. "As the Top General in the Lastation Military, I feel I need to say this. Lance, you broke every rule in the book. You have endangered not only yourself, but also your comrades. Your very actions were childish, irresponsible, and damn crazy, not befitting a soldier of Lastation's Military." Montgomery continued, almost shocking many of the people present at the feast.

"However, in the process of breaking military code and sacrificing your honor, you have saved the lives of brave men who otherwise wouldn't be alive today had you not given that order. Therefore, it is by my authority as a General of the Lastation Military to promote you to the rank of Colonel, and present you command of the 13th Airborne Assault Group, whom you've fought with. You had lost some of your integrity, but gained my respect, soldier. For the lives you've saved today, I thank you." Montgomery concluded. This left Lance shocked an ecstatic as applause roared around him.

* * *

Later that evening as the feast concluded, Johnson, Mason, the Chief, and Lance stood on the balcony of the Basilicom, overlooking the city below.

"That was unexpected." Cortana had finally said, trying to break the ice.

"Yea. For a moment, I thought he was genuinely mad at me. But then this promotion. Such a jump in rank is unprecedented." Lance replied, showing confusion that he hadn't felt in a long time.

"It means that you are a natural leader, and are willing to make the necessary sacrifices - both of yourself and of your comrades - to get the job done with minimal losses." Noire said as she walked up to join them. Lance took the time to contemplate the words he just heard from his Goddess.

"Yea... but I still wonder if it was all that necessary to scold him, then congratulate him in the same speech." Mason said, just as confused as the rest of them.

* * *

"Is everyone assembled?" A mercenary officer, Kyber Jenson, said as he surveyed the assembled forces.

"Yes. We await your word." another mercenary said. His words brought a snide smirk upon Kyber's face as he raised a communicator.

"Gentlemen... _The angel has fallen!_ " Kyber shouted, and a second later, long range barrage missiles were flung towards Lastation, followed by the advance of Sukhoi Su-27 Flankers, several armored vehicles and infantry.

* * *

"This is a beautiful night." Cortana said as everyone gazed on the city. With the pollution long gone, the stars shone brightly above the nation.

"Odd... some of those stars are getting bigger, and rapidly, too..." Mason muttered loudly as he witnessed orange balls of light approaching from a distance. Suddenly, he realized that they weren't stars, but missiles.

"SHIT! GET DOWN!" Lance shouted as the missiles flew over and hit the Basilicom on the top floor where Noire's bedroom was.

"What's this?! Missiles?!" Cortana shouted in confusion, before the Chief began to hear screaming above them.

"UNI!" Noire shouted as the top floor burned above them. Around them, missiles fell all over Lastation, destroying factories, supply depots, and even residential areas.

"This isn't some random accident! Lastation is under attack!" Lance shouted as he grabbed his communicator. Andrew, Neptune, and Histoire, followed by one of Noire's technicians, run out onto the balcony to see what was going on.

"No..." Histoire muttered, shock and fear gripping her as destruction rained down around them.

"Shit, I can't get a hold of anyone! Radio communications are out and satellite communications are giving static." Lance annouinced, practically throwing the useless communication device back in his jacket pocket.

"I can't get a hold of the satellite feed either. Somebody is jamming the satellite network!" a technician shouted as a missile detonated just to the side of the Basilicom, shattering windows.

"Lady Black Heart, I must get you somewhere safe!" Lance demanded, taking matters into his own hands again to protect Noire.

"I CAN'T!" Noire shouted as another missile hit the top floor, sending Uni over the edge of the other balcony above them, leaving her hanging precariously.

"Lady Black Heart, I insist you go with the Colonel. I have authorized Wartime Protocol Seventeen and have begun mobilizing the military against this assault." Montgomery said as he ran outside. Noire, however, just stood there. "Lady Black Heart, just fucking go, already! We can't risk losing you to the enemy!" Montgomery shouted.

"I-I CAN'T! UNI-" Noire panicked. Andrew saw what was happening above and transformed into Purple Shield, interrupting Noire with the bright flash.

"Noire, go with Colonel Kennedy. I'll handle your sister." Andrew said, before jumping up. Above him, Uni lost her grip as the Basilicom jolted from another explosion, and she was sent falling to the ground, but Andrew was able to catch up to her and grab her before she landed.

"Are you okay?" Andrew asked as he flew and landed back on the Balcony with Uni in her hands.

"I think so." Uni said as she righted herself. However, another missile impact sent her tumbling again, falling forward.

"We've got to get off this balcony!" Montgomery shouted. As if to jinx him, the missile barrage suddenly ceased, leaving behind an eerie silence. The silence was quickly replaced with a loud screech as a fighter jet passed by them at supersonic speed.

"Flankers!" Andrew shouted as a flight of Su-27s whizzed about, tearing apart defensive positions, SAM batteries, and AAA before they can become active. It was at this point that the sound of the air raid sirens blared throughout the city. Ten minutes after the Flankers arrived, a ground force rushed in and surrounded the Basilicom.

"Mercs..." Uni muttered as all possible escape routes were blocked off. Her words prompted Neptune to step back and hide behind Andrew.

"We're surrounded! Mercenaries have entered the Basilicom!" Lance shouted as he and Noire ran back out onto the balcony.

"Let's make a break for the safe house below." Montgomery suggested.

"We can't, sir. They've cut the power to the elevators and are climbing up the stairs as we speak." Lance shouted, annoyed by the fact that, despite his heroism, he found himself unable to perform.

"Use that defiant, childlike brain of yours!" Montgomery ordered. Lance thought for a moment.

"There is a spare bedroom on this level. We can go in there and hide, while the rest of you take care of the mercs." Lance finally suggested, knowing though that there isn't much that can be done besides take Noire and Uni and hide in that room.

"Good idea." Montgomery said bluntly.

"Hey, wait! Neptune can't fight with that scar on her hand! Plus if the Mercs see her, there won't be much time before she and I are captured!" Andrew complained, knowing full well the situation is tenuous.

"We can't get her out of here, either. There's too much enemy activity." Histoire countered.

"She, Histoire, and Compa can hide with us. If the Mercs find us, we'll holler." Lance suggested. Andrew was put at ease knowing Lance was willing to sacrifice himself again for both CPUs. With a nod, Andrew ran out and set up position next to IF and Montgomery by the door. With a bang and click, the door to the spare bedroom was locked, with Neptune Compa, Histoire, Uni, Noire, and Lance inside. The dining hall was filled with smoke. Broken glass and ceramic littered the floor. Behind them, Mason, the Chief, and Johnson set up another defensive position by the balcony in case the enemy attempted to enter the room from behind.

Andrew and the others stood firm and concentrated, sweat beginning to drip down their brows as they waited for the inevitable breach.

"Any second now..." IF muttered, sheer terror giving way to burning defiance brighter than the blazing fires outside. With a crackle, the PA suddenly came to life.

"This is General Louie Hernandez of the Defense Ministry of Lastation, working alongside Lastation Military personnel. Wartime Protocol Seventeen is in effect. Hostile forces have entered the city following a lengthy siege of unguided long range missiles. For your safety, we ask that you enter your basements, lock all doors, and await further orders. I repeat, Please enter your basements and await further orders." the man on the PA stated. Afterwards, silence.

Suddenly, the door in front of them got vaporized by a breaching charge, and mercenary commandos barged in, firing wildly as they walked inside.

"RETURN FIRE!" Montgomery shouted as he fired a PDW, followed by IF who had an assault rifle from a commando that fell close to them. Andrew blocked several incoming rounds with his shield, before slicing the mercs apart with his sword. They then heard gunfire behind them as mercenaries repelled their way up onto the balcony, only to be killed as they climbed over the railing by the three Spec Ops soldiers blocking their way. However, the mercenaries did not stop coming from both sides, and Andrew and the others quickly became overpowered as they ran out of ammo.

"Is... this the end?" IF muttered as the mercenaries surrounded them. Any attempt to resist now would end in dismal failure. Behind the mercenaries, Andrew could make out a figure in what looked like an officer's uniform entering the room.

"My my. What a show you guys put on for me." the officer said sarcastically as he waltzed about the room, before finally laying eyes on Andrew.

"And lookie here! Purple Shield has joined the celebration!" the officer cooed in a sinister tone. "Let me introduce myself. I am Kyber Jenson of Heaven's Bane. A name I'm sure you know well!" the man introduced himself.

"That's impossible! We brought down Heaven's Bane a couple weeks ago!" IF shouted angrily.

"That was only one cell of our little family! We are much larger than you can hope to defeat!" Kyber said slyly as he touched IF's chin, before turning to Andrew. "You have made my leader very angry indeed. Taking what is rightfully his and running away with it like the thief you are." Kyber said spitefully.

"Oh, yea, sure. Blame it all on me. Isn't it getting a little expensive for you guys to operate with all the mercs and equipment we tossed aside and the slave trade we sh-" Andrew said with anger.

"Yea, we lost some guns you little weasel! And the loss of the slave market did put a dent in our economy. But we can get more guns and the slave trade was only one part of a bigger economic machine. You've slowed us down, but you can't stop us!" Kyber shouted even more spitefully. "You're going to die a failure, when our leader is finished with you." Kyber concluded slyly. At that point, all the mercenaries that were present turned their guns on Andrew, putting him in a desperate situation. "Now... where's Neptune?" Kyber demanded.

"I plead the fifth." Andrew replied boldly, a smirk across his face.

"You're a funny man, Purple Shield!" Kyber shouted snidely as he punched Andrew across the face, followed by another, powerful punch to his chest. A couple of the mercenaries became interested in the way Andrew had boldly defied their officer's demands.

"I will not ask again. Where is she?!" Kyber shouted. All Andrew did in reply was laugh, which threw off a few other mercenaries.

"You'll have to do better than that, Scumbag! Even then, I will not divulge her location to you!" Andrew said, maintaining his defiance. A few mercs stifled a laugh as Andrew took the pain like a champ and continued to defy Kyber's demands. Kyber laughed in return.

"You've got guts, Purple Shield. Let's see how Jose likes them when he tortures you for his own twisted pleasure." Kyber finally said, before knocking Andrew out with a stun mace and locking an HDD inhibitor around his neck, similar to the one used on Neptune, whiched instantly caused him to transform back into his human form. With that, the mercs carted Andrew off, and Kyber waltzed to a door, before pulling the handle.

"Hmm. Locked." Kyber muttered, before kicking the door down. He looked around inside, and saw Noire, who hadn't had the time to hide. "At last, Lady Black Heart. We are alone." he said before he pinned her to the wall and, reaching the bottom of her skirt, started to lift it up.

"AHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU PERVERT!" Noire shrieked as the skirt of her dress inched up further and further. Kyber simply laughed creepily as he kept Noire pinned to the wall and continued to lift her skirt up until there was nothing left covering her undergarments. Noire was practically squirming as the perverted officer continued to defile her.

"Stop... Please..." Noire begged. However Kyber didn't stop there, and took his combat knife and gingerly cut Noire's underwear off at the waistband. Noire screamed in mortal embarrassment as her panties fell to the floor. Neptune looked on from her hiding spot, practically in tears seeing her friend being defiled like that. Histoire sat there next to her, shock and disgust pouring through her as she witnessed the most abhorrent and sinister act that this man was performing.

"STOP! PLEASE STOP!" Noire continued to beg as the man ran his hand across her crotch, a twisted smile on his face, before he cut off the skirt at the front, leaving her exposed. "NO MORE! NO MORE! PLEASE! I BEG YOU!" Noire continued to beg and scream, practically in tears. Kyber was having so much fun running his hand across her private area that he failed to notice Lance at his side, pistol drawn and pointed at his head.

"Time's up, pervert!" Lance declared with a fury and anger that made Kyber drop his knife on his foot. Kyber whimpered as he felt the blade penetrate his boot and slice clean through his foot, the pain forcing him to remove his left hand from Noire's wrists. Noire desperately tried to cover herself as she looked up at the mercenary officer who defiled her, unimaginable rage burning through her eyes mixed with shock and embarrassment.

"For... sexually assaulting... the goddess of... Lastation... I hereby sentence you... to death... effective immediately!" Noire ordered, still in tears and embarrassment. Within a second, Lance pulled the trigger, and Kyber saw nothing but black.

"Are you alright, Milady?" Lance asked, looking away from Noire to give her some modesty.

"Thank you, Lance." was all Noire said, before mercenaries entered the room to see Kyber lying dead on the floor. They raised their guns to Lance's head, but before they could fire, they were shot in the back by blaster fire. Behind the mercenaries that fell down was Delta Squad, who had sneaked in and wiped out the enemy.

"Thanks for that, Delta." Lance said, glad that the ordeal was over.

"Don't mention it." Fixer said in reply as he turned away quickly when he noticed a badly defiled Noire. Above the mangled Basilicom, the Su-27s were slowly replaced by F/A 38s and other fighter aircraft of the Lastation Air Force.

"Alright, everyone. You can come out, now." Lance called out, and Neptune, Uni, Compa, and Histoire emerged from the shadows.

Everyone noticed Uni and Neptune in tears, scared out of their wits by what they just witnessed, while Compa and Histoire showed anger and disgust.

"In all my years as Oracle and Chronicler, I have never witnessed something so vile as sexual assault on a goddess." Histoire said, unable to hide her disgust.

"Yessy. I think that sick man got exactly what he deserved." Compa agreed, angered and disgusted beyond all measure.

"Let's get you something to cover you up." Lance said with a smile as he checked the wardrobe of the spare bedroom. Grabbing a dress from the hangar, he walked back to Noire.

"Will this do?" Lance asked, still giving her plenty of modesty. Noire, still embarrassed, gingerly took the dress and walked into the bathroom for privacy, emerging later still flustered, but at least presentable. With that out of the way, everyone walked back out. The dining table was a complete wreck, and the stained glass was shattered, with bits of the ceiling crumbled and on the floor. IF was crying in a corner, and Neptune looked around frantically.

"What the hell? Where's Andrew?" Lance asked, looking for some sort of answer.

"Captured. Now in Jose's hands." Mason said sadly. Neptune heard this, and ended her search with tears welling up in her eyes.

"Oh no..." Neptune cried, before she collapsed, tears and sadness engulfing her. Her cries drowned out the noise of distant gunfire and sirens from emergency crews responding to their calls. In an effort to comfort her, Mason kneeled down and embraced her.

"It'll be alright. We'll find a way." Mason said sofly. It wasn't enough to reduce her sniffling, however.

"Quit your blubbering, already!" a feminine voice yelled. Neptune turned around to see Ram walking in from the balcony, followed by Nepgear.

"RAM! NEPGEAR!" Neptune shouted at the top of her lungs.

"We came as soon as we heard the news. Blanc and Vert are working with separate teams of their own military, trying to put down isolated pockets of Jose's mercenaries. The damage was worse than we feared." Nepgear reported. However, Neptune looked away, tears still streaming down her face.

"Hey, Neptune. Why were you crying?" Nepgear asked.

"Andrew's been captured, I'm afraid. He stood defiant when that bastard Kyber interrogated him. He's in Jose's hands, now." Montgomery said, filling them in. The knowledge took Ram and Nepgear by surprise, who dropped their weapons in complete shock.

"To think such a thing could happen... it's unfathomable..." Nepgear muttered.

"He was the most devoted! He was never willing to give up! There has to be a mistake!" Ram shouted, not taking the truth lightly.

"It's true, unfortunately. Kyber used a stun mace to knock him out. After that, it was easy going for them." Cortana confirmed, breaking Ram's spirit for a second.

"Okay. Firstly, we need to reestablish the link with the satellite network, and reset the communications nodes. After that, we need to perform an active search from the-" Johnson said, trying to think of a plan.

"WOAH! WOAH! Johnson! You're going too far ahead!" Noire interrupted.

"Actually, sis, I agree with the Sergeant. Without Andrew, they have a sure shot of getting Neptune back in Jose's hands." Uni countered. Noire simply sighed, still embarrassed from Kyber's sexual assault.

"Very well. I'll get the techs to restore all communications. In the meantime, I want you all to help put down all remaining pockets of enemy resistance. Oh, and Neptune, since you can't be trusted to fight with that hand of yours, I'd like you and Nepgear to help get things running again. Especially when some of my best techs may have been executed." Noire instructed. Afterwards, everyone left, except Lance, who stayed behind.

"Something the matter, Colonel?" Noire asked.

"Yea. This war we've found ourselves in. It may have started out with skirmishes, but an assault of Lastation... I'm afraid we've entered a new, dark phase. We're looking at what appears to be... total war, and many sacrifices we may be unwilling to make will be necessary before the end." Lance explained. Noire knew exactly what he was talking about. An attack of this magnitude couldn't be possible without a significant buildup of resources over a period of years. It seems too likely they've used the Console War and the crisis with Arfoire to cloak themselves as they built up these resources over time. It would only make sense given their vast military strength, which rivals that of all four nations combined. Their significant presence in the Black Market and other criminal networks only strengthens them further.

"Would you do it?" Lance asked unexpectedly.

"Do what?" Noire asked in response, trying to get a clearer picture.

"Would you sacrifice those you care about dearly to put an end to the war?" Lance asked, clarifying himself.

"I don't know. I could have a hard time going through it, but if it's what it comes down to if it means ending this war, maybe I'll try." Noire said sheepishly, trying to come up with an answer. However, something has been bothering her.

' _Damnit, why am I thinking about him so much?! He's just a Colonel! Yes, maybe he saved my sanity and all, and was there when I needed someone the most, but come on! I can't be falling in love with him! Can I? Am I? Should I?_ ' Noire thought to herself as her heart began racing faster than an SR-71 flying at full speed. ' _No! Damnit, Noire you're better than this! You can't fall in love with this guy! Can you? Are you? No! Stop! Stop! Stop thinking about it! Love him! No, DON'T love him! You! You! AARRGHH!_ ' she continued thinking, practically fighting a losing battle with her own feelings for Lance, until she couldn't hold them back anymore.

"Lance." Noire said out of the blue. It was the first time she had called him anything other than his rank and last name.

"Yes, Milady?" Lance replied, unsure of what was going on.

"I keep feeling like we were put in this situation together for a reason." Noire began. Lance tilted his head in confusion. "You were there when I needed someone the most, with that sick man and all that. Not to mention you were willing to put yourself in harms way for me and my friends." Noire continued.

"Um, yea." Lance said bluntly.

"Well... Something's... there. I can't wrap my head around it. Maybe I've found something in you in the heat of conflict, like Andrew and Neptune found it in conflict." Noire continued further, flustered. Lance's eyes began to widen as he began to realize what she was talking about. "Lance... I..." she stammered, swallowing her pride. "I love you!" Noire finished. Lance's eyes widened further, before a tear welled up in one of his eyes. It was at that point that Lance smiled. He knew that Noire was right, something was there, and conflict had brought the two together. As suddenly as the discussion began, it ended with a passionate kiss between the two of them.

* * *

The next morning, the fires were being put out, and the injured were being cared for by field medics. A reconstruction team was hard at work rebuilding the critically damaged parts of the city. The CPUs, minus Neptune and Noire, were out looking for survivors among the wreckage of the old Market District, which had been hit the worst by the unguided missile barrage.

"Hey! I found someone! Over here, in the collapsed inn!" a medic called out. "Get the shovels! We have to move this wreckage!" another medic called. IF looked over to where they had found the survivor and recognized the woman as Chian, the one who helped them against corruption and to restore Noire to power.

"Chian!" IF called out as she took a shovel from a soldier and started digging out the pile of broken plasterboard and shattered glass from on top of her. It took about ten minutes before she was finally free. "Are you aright, Chian?" IF asked.

"Am I alright?!" Chian snapped. IF was taken completely by surprise by her outburst. "The hell I am! Look at this place!" she shouted. "This restaurant and inn had been in my family for generations! I... I..." Chian continued, just as tears welled up in her eyes. "I lost everything. The factory, the family inn, everything!" she cried.

"I can relate to that, ma'dam. The assault took all of us by surprise. I lost my home, which had also run in the family." a soldier said, trying to console Chian. Cloud looked all around at the devastation, and instantly had flashbacks of his old dimension. The fires at Nebelheim, the total destruction of Midgar, everything stood out for him.

"We'll make Jose pay for what he's done. We'll make sure of it." IF vowed.

* * *

About three days had passed since the assault, and everyone's patience and hard work paid off.

"Ahh! I've got a reading from Andrew's N-Gear. He sent a distress beacon." Nepgear announced as she worked on a computer. "Getting a fix... No way!" she shouted.

"Where is he, Nepgear?" Lance asked, secretly holding Noire's hand.

"He's in a downed blackhawk helicopter on the Desert Plateau along the border."

* * *

Andrew was just waking up again in this godforsaken wasteland, his wrist chained to a bar inside a derelict Blackhawk surrounded by tents and burned up tanks. Just three days ago, he sent a distress beacon on his N-Gear, set on auto-repeat.

"So, you're awake." a mercenary said.

"Ah shut up. You know I'm not in the mood to answer questions." Andrew replied. The mercenary merely laughed, though the laugh was more friendly than usual.

"Spare me your humor, Purple Shield. You know I have no time for silly interrogations, unlike my predecessor, who I heard was quite the pervert before he died." the mercenary mused.

"Predecessor? You mean Kyber?" Andrew asked.

"Indeed. You're lucky that Jose isn't here, he would greatly enjoy torturing you." the mercenary replied, though Andrew knew something was off, especially with the tone the mercenary said that last statement in.

"Speaking of, You haven't shipped me off. The longer you wait, the easier it would be for them to find me, you know." Andrew said. As if he jinxed himself, a Blackhawk showed up outside and started mowing the place down before landing. From inside the Helicopter, Johnson, the Chief, Nepgear, and Uni came running towards the wreckage he was trapped in, cutting down whatever resistance was in their path.

"Well played, Purple Shield. My faith in your intuition was not to waste it seems." the mercenary said, a strangely friendly smile across his face. As Nepgear entered the wreck, the mercenary simply tossed aside his weapons and surrendered peacefully as Johnson broke the chain around Andrew's wrist, which dumbfounded Andrew beyond all measure. It was when the mercenary spoke on the way back to Lastation that things made sense.

"You see, I'm not really a mercenary at all. That's why I was reluctant to hand you over to my "boss."" the man said, his eyes showing that he was speaking the truth.

"Then who are you, exactly?" Andrew asked as Nepgear used her device on his HDD inhibitor.

"Considering we have a common goal, it wouldn't do to simply keep this a secret. I am Fahrid, a spy for the small, democratic nation of Aurelius." the man explained, while Johnson wrote everything into his report.

"Sounds familiar, but why would an Aurelian use such a name as Fahrid?" Nepgear asked, confused.

"It is common for spies to use a cover name, though I will not divulge my real name to you. Yet." Fahrid said truthfully.

"Who's your goddess?" Andrew asked the man.

"Her name is - or rather was - Azure Heart." Fahrid said bluntly, before looking away with a saddened expression.

"Was?" Cortana asked, trying to clarify.

"Heaven's Bane has a very strong presence in our nation. They ousted her and turned our government into a puppet state for their benefit. As for Azure Heart, she's an outcast, and a slave." Fahrid said somberly.

"Slave..." Andrew muttered.

"Just like what happened to Neptune..." Nepgear said, sorrow and sympathy in her eyes.

"Yea. They came in decades ago. Since then we've been trying to remove their influence and restore the nation to its former glory." Fahrid said.

"Like a freedom fighter." the Chief concluded.

"Buy why the desert plateau along the Planeptune-Lastation border, of all places?" Uni asked.

"Originally it was observation. We needed intel on all parties, searching for some sort of weakness against them. Sadly there hasn't been much of a success in that regard. Then the order came in to find and capture a goddess, only to find them capture the one and only Purple Shield. I felt this was the perfect opportunity to learn from him and ask for his help in liberating our goddess, but my "colleagues" were a barrier against any such interaction." Fahrid explained.

"So you kept me chained in there because you had a part to play as an "officer" of Jose's mercenary forces, but you were unwilling to do your duty and turn me over to him." Andrew said with a smile. He understood fully what was going on in the man's head.

"Indeed. You figured that out pretty quick." Fahrid said, returning the smile. "And when you believed that I was legitimately a mercenary under his command and feared me, you added to my deception, which made my life easier on me." he continued. Andrew laughed a little, but then his smile faded.

"Is something wrong, Purple Shield?" Fahrid asked.

"It's Neptune." Andrew said. "I would be glad to help you, but I can't, because I need to protect her." he continued. Fahrid looked on, wondering why a Goddess would need protection. "You see, it was a couple weeks ago. Neptune was kidnapped in a daring raid executed by Heaven's Bane from within her own Basilicom and sold to Jose as a slave. I went after her, but when I reached her, Jose showed up and ruined everything by stabbing her right hand. That wound exists as a painful scar, and she can hardly hold her sword, let alone fight, because of the pain. How can I help you when she can't even defend herself?" Andrew continued. Fahrid sat in silence, contemplating what he had heard.

"I see." Fahrid finally said. "I guess coming out here was..." he added.

"Don't admit defeat just yet. The goddesses would want to hear your story. Maybe we can find some sort of plan to rescue her." Uni said with a smile. Fahrid perked up, before nodding. Within two minutes, they arrive at the Basilicom, which was still still pretty badly mangled from the attack.

"Why is your Basilicom trashed up? That is NOT fitting for a goddess." Fahrid asked in irritation.

"Blame a missile barrage for that." Andrew said. Fahrid nodded as he walked out of the Blackhawk.

* * *

"You're back! Are you alright? Did they hurt you at all?" Histoire asked, demanding to know if Andrew needed help.

"Relax, Histoire, no harm was done." Andrew replied.

"Huh?! That's strange. They didn't torture you at all? They didn't even hand you over to Jose?" IF asked, plenty of questions swimming around her head.

"Funny story to that. You see..." Andrew began, followed by a monologue of how the mercenary officer who kept him there was actually a spy for a group of freedom fighters of the small democratic nation of Aurelius, and how Fahrid, the spy, needed his help to save their goddess, Azure Heart. No detail was left out in Andrew's explanation. "That's what happened." Andrew concluded. Noire looked back and fourth between Andrew and Fahrid, and nodded.

"Thanks for keeping him safe, Fahrid. As for your wayward goddess, I think we can all agree to lend some aid. We can spare Nepgear, Rom, Ram, and some troops and equipment, but that's about it." Noire said, seeing the other three goddesses nod in approval.

"Thank you, lady Black Heart. You have the gratitiude of the Aurelian people." Fahrid said happily, shaking hands, before sitting down somewhere.

"Now that that's out of the way, I have an announcement to make." Noire said suddenly, as Lance walked up and stood next to her. "Lance and I... well... we... we have... declared our love for each other. We promised to each other to protect each other. We're going to get married within a month." Noire announced. Her words shocked everyone in the room, other than Histoire, Andrew, Uni, and Neptune, who smiled.

"Well, how about a little celebration, then?!" Andrew shouted energetically, and everyone yelled in agreement. Noire flustered, but held a smile, while Lance pulled out a bottle of champagne to celebrate their new love. The evening preceded fairly noisily, and even Fahrid joined in the celebration.

* * *

"Just heard from our spy in Gamindustri proper. We've got the four nations on our side." A man announced, which led to small celebrations among a group of men in suits.

"This is good news, Minister. Soon, Aurelius will be free, and Jose's influence will be removed. With that, we can finally return peace to our beloved nation." another man said.

"As the Minister of War, I must meet these Goddesses, and draw up plans to liberate Azure Heart. Only then, can we be able to fight the evil that has defaced our peaceful nation.

END OF EPISODE TWO OF "THE NEPTUNIA CHRONICLES."

-Author's Notes-  
As you can see, I have tried a new writing style, as apparently the previous one was hard to read and had several errors. I want to know which style is better, and if there is anything I can improve on. Let me know in a review!

For some odd reason, the previous iteration of this episode got hideously defaced by corrupt text. I have therefore reuploaded the chapter to account for that. My most sincere apologies for the mess up.

That's about it. Stay cool, and keep on Nepping! C'ya later!


	3. Goddess in Exile

RECAP:  
Last time on the Neptunia Chronicles, war rages as Lastation is bombarded with missiles by Jose's private military, and his Mercs enter the basilicom. Our heroes gave a valiant, but futile defense, and Andrew Hawker was captured, while Noire was sexually defiled by a perverted mercenary officer. Three days later, Andrew was rescued, and the man who kept him prisoner, named Fahrid, turned out to be a spy with the Aurelian Freedom Fighters, who promptly asked our heroes to rescue their goddess, Azure Heart. Oh, and Noire and Lance announced their love.

* * *

 **The Neptunia Chronicles  
** **Goddess in Exile** **  
**

It had been a day since the celebration for Noire's and Lance's love, and Andrew was somewhat tired. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Yea?" Andrew asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"Andrew, you and Neptune are needed in Noire's room. There's been a development." Histoire called.

"Coming." Andrew replied. Next to him, Neptune was just waking up from her slumber. They were in a spare bedroom in Lastation's Basilicom, not having left yet due to the ongoing efforts to bring Lastation back up to speed.

* * *

As Neptune and Andrew were walking towards the elevator, the smell of smoke filled the air, though not as heavily as it was a couple days ago. They step into the elevator and go to the top floor, the bright sunlight blinding them with their tired eyes.

"Man I'm tired." Neptune yawned, before laying her head on Andrew's arm. Andrew couldn't help but smile as he wrapped his arm around her, keeping her close. The rest of the ride up was silent. As the door opened, the extent of the damage to Noire's room was apparent. The carpet and furniture were charred and burned beyond repair, and large bits of the ceiling and walls were missing, vaporised when the missiles hit. It was a miracle that the basilicom hadn't collapsed from all the damage it took. Noire, Lance, Fahrid, and someone else had turned around when Andrew and Neptune walked in.

"Ah, Andrew there you are. And Neptune as well. Great, we're all gathered." Noire said with a smile.

"Yea I guess we are. Sorry about the room, by the way." Andrew said meekly as Lance stifled a laugh.

"Hey, it could be worse. All it needs is some TLC and it will be good as new." Fahrid said as he tossed Andrew a rolled up bundle of copied documents.

"Maybe, but much of that furniture had been crafted specially for me, especially that dining table. Even with some repairs, I doubt this place will be the same. Not to mention Uni has no bed anymore." Noire said with a heavy sigh. Andrew turned to Uni, who looked extremely tired.

"Don't ask, I was on the couch downstairs." Uni said with a yawn. With her were some Lastation Military commandos who had volunteered for the mission at hand; rescuing Azure Heart.

"Alright. Since we're all here, let's get down to business." the mysterious man said bluntly. "First of all, I am Titus Lorel, the Minister of War for the democratic government of the Federation of Aurelius. I came here to work with you guys to find and execute a plan to rescue our CPU, the goddess Azure Heart, from Jose's men. Everything that is said will be on the documents you have been handed, so feel free to review them at any time." Titus continued. There was a short pause before IF spoke up.

"I have spoken with the guild and asked for scouting parties. The guild has confirmed that Azure Heart is being held as a slave at a farmhouse currently owned by one of Jose's top generals, Ludwig Schneider. He doesn't possess any special abilities, but the men under his command are elite. Be on your guard over there." IF explained. There was an even shorter pause as IF gazed at the people who would participate in the mission.

"Gentlemen." IF began, facing the commandos. "Uni, Nepgear and Fahrid will lead this mission. You will be injected into the area by a Pelican dropship modified with an optical stealth generator that Titus had kindly given us. It would be as if you were never in the area to begin with. You'll then sneak in, rescue the CPU, and then head back to the forest for extraction. Remember that defenses will be tight. Keep it quick, quiet, and clean. Good luck." IF said, ending her monologue. With that, Nepgear, Uni, Fahrid, and the commandos walk out of the room.

"I hope we didn't just send them into a trap." Lance muttered, genuinely worried.

"I hope so too, Lance." Noire replied, gripping Lance's hand tightly around hers.

"We know that Azure heart won't leave Aurelius without her circlet, bow and tiara. They're special to her, though we don't know why." Titus said.

"I'll send the Chief and Delta Squad separate for that." Vert said unexpectedly as she came in from outside.

* * *

"You boys ready?" the pilot of the Pelican asked.

"Indeed. Let's get this over with." Fahrid confirmed. In a split second, the Pelican lifted off, before vanishing entirely, though they were still being tracked by satellite. Uni just fell asleep, her LMG in her hands, while Nepgear was helping a commando with a pair of malfunctioning night vision goggles. Other than that, much of the things around the Pelican were fairly quiet.

* * *

"Alright, Ms. Luna. there's no work for you today. I have a meeting with the boss to go to, so just make yourself at home." a man said as he left the room with a laugh. Behind him, a woman who at first glance looked to be 14 years old was sitting in a cage, her hands between the bars, her pale blue hair hanging and messed up.

"What am I to do? I can't transform, I can't fight back... I'm starving and weak. It seems I am doomed to fade away as little more than a tool." the woman cried as her hands slipped off the bars. With no way out, she has practically given up hope, though her shares still seemed strong. "Someone... please get me OUT of this nightmare. I can't take anymore." the woman continued to weep. It was then that her stomach growled, and she took out her meal for the day, which was little more than a pack of nuts and meager scraps. They kept her poorly fed to make sure she didn't find the strength to rebel. That was how they kept her nation firmly in their grasp.

* * *

Staying resolute, Fahrid thought about Azure Heart as he prepared his mind for the coming battle. Armed with a pulse laser rifle developed by Planeptune, he felt was ready for anything, though he knew he would need to rely on everyone for this. By now, an hour had gone by, and they were on schedule.

"Alright, boys, we've penetrated Aurelius's air defense. We're now vectoring on to the LZ. ETA, ten minutes!" the pilot called. Everyone suddenly readied themselves, even Uni, who had woken up a minute earlier. Ten minutes pass, and the Pelican finally lands in the clearing, and everyone jumps out. They were just a few klicks from the farmhouse, so all they had to do was walk.

"As if that's going to be easy." Nepgear muttered. She knew that nothing is as it seemed, so they moved quietly.

"This is Bravo team, we're on station at the Basilicom, entering Azure Heart's room now." a familiar voice said. Nepgear and Uni looked at each other, before responding.

"Copy that Bravo... it's good to have you with us, Chief." Nepgear said, unsure of what was going on.

"You haven't been informed. Vert has sent us in to extract some personal items for the CPU." Cortana said, her spectral, feminine figure appearing on screen for both Uni and Nepgear. Uni simply nodded.

"Got it. See you when we get back." Uni said happily as she closed the link. The group continued their sneaking until they finally reach a cliff overlooking the farmhouse. They could smell the crop; a genuine, poisonous batch of methamphetamine and heroine. It was at that moment that a man in a grey suit jumps on Nepgear, who almost screamed but had her mouth covered. The strange man lifted a finger to his lips and silently shushed her, before pointing to an approaching patrol. At that moment, everyone scrambled into the trees as Snake did his work. Nepgear and Fahrid were astonished as the strange man shot the mercenary patrol with a silenced pistol and hid the bodies in the forest.

"Alright, everyone. We're clear." the man said in a silent, raspy voice.

"Why'd you jump on me?!" Nepgear shouted in a hushed tone.

"That patrol was approaching fast." the man explained as he wiped sweat off his brow.

"Okay, but who are you?" Fahrid asked, irritated.

"I'm the man that IF sent to gather intelligence on Azure Heart's location." the man explained. The explanation made everyone calm down a bit.

"Okay, but that still doesn't answer my question. Who are you? What are we supposed to call you?" Fahrid asked again.

"Just, call me "Snake." the man said, before looking around. "We've got to move. They are going to notice one of their own missing and raise the alarm at any time." Snake finally said. Everyone nodded, before sneaking down the cliff via the road. It took a while, but they were finally standing in front of the entrance. The place wasn't as guarded as they thought. It was then that Fahrid walked forward towards the two guards.

"This might not end well." Snake said under his breath.

"Who are you?! This is a restricted area, you're not supposed to be here!" a guard yelled.

"Relax! I'm just a mercenary looking for work. You guys have any smokes, by the way?" Fahrid asked in his best Mexican accent. The guard who stopped him laughed at that, and they both turned around to look in their packs. As they did, Fahrid stabbed them both in their necks with a pair of hidden razor blades in his gauntlets. As the mercs fell over, Fahrid walked back over. "Hahaha! Morons!" Fahrid laughed.

"That was... unorthodox." Snake admitted. "It was a risky move, but it worked, and now the entrance is clear." Nepgear muttered as Fahrid shrugged. They took their time entering the farmhouse. Other than one man sleeping on the couch, there were no mercenaries inside. That gave them the opportunity to go downstairs where the CPU was being held.

* * *

The woman was just finishing off her meager meal when she heard the door open. Fearing the worst, she backed up, only to find two men and a teenage-looking girl.

"Who are you?" the woman asked.

 _"The light of the Stars of Celestia..."_ Fahrid began.

 _"...will guide me through the night."_ the woman finished. There was but a second of silence. "Lucas Matthews?!" the woman asked in surprise.

"Nice to see you too, Luna. Let's get you out of here." Fahrid, apparently named Lucas Matthews, said with a smile.

"If YOU of all people think I'm going back home, you're mistaken. Jose has his men all over!" Luna shouted in disbelief.

"Which is why we're taking you out of the country, Luna. We came back in from Lastation on a cloaked Pelican." Lucas explained.

"What?! Out of the country?! And let our people suffer?!" Luna shouted.

"There is really no other alternative, Ms. Azure Heart. All of Gamindustri is at war with Jose's private military. Besides, your people suffer as it is with the simple knowledge that they have you in captivity. We can keep you safe while you regain your strength." Nepgear said. Luna knew that she was right, but didn't believe in abandoning her people.

"I understand that, miss. But I simply can't leave! My people-" Luna began, before being cut off.

"The Secretary of the People vowed to send a secret message to the population to let them know as soon as you're free. We will come back home when we have the strength, because the other four nations of Gamindustri agreed unilaterally to support us with men and equipment as soon as you're safe. You can still help your people." Lucas said. However, Luna was still unwilling to go along with it.

"My stuff... it's in my basilicom. I'm not leaving without it, but I can't get it myself." Luna said painfully.

"A separate team has been dispatched for that purpose, ma'am." Nepgear explained. There was more silence.

"The more we wait, the more our people suffer. Please, Luna. Come with us." Lucas said. Luna simply sighed.

"Very well. I will go with you." Luna finally said as Nepgear picked at the electronic lock. With a beep, the cage unlocked and opened.

* * *

"We've got her. Now en route to exfil." Uni said on the communicator as Luna, Lucas, Nepgear, and Snake approached them.

"Crane to Alpha Team. Be advised, we cannot make the pickup at this time. The LZ is hot, I repeat, the LZ is hot." the Pelican pilot announced over the comms, leaving an irritated Uni.

"What are we supposed to do, wait around for the enemy to show up?!" Uni shouted under her breath.

"Sorry, girlie. We can't do anything at this point." the pilot said again.

"Very well, over and out!" a very angry Uni said, before she closed the link.

"What's going on?!" Lucas asked, seeing Uni angry at something.

"It's the damn pilot, Fahrid. He called off our pickup because the landing zone is too hot!" Uni said angrily.

"That would mean there's a strong presence of mercenary elites in the area." Snake said, confirming what was happening.

"So... we're stuck here?" Nepgear asked, afraid of being the next victim of capture. Snake looked around, and saw a few armored transport vehicles. It was then that an alarm was raised, and mercenaries started pouring out from the forest and barracks.

"Over there! Go for the vehicles!" Snake shouted as the group started running. The group get into the vehicles, just as the Mercenaries fire on them.

"Damn, that was close!" Snake swore. However, looking around revealed no keys, so he began hot wiring the car.

"There's no hope, is there?" Nepgear asked.

"Nepgear! Don't think like that!" Uni shouted, before contacting the pilot again. "Hey, pilot! We've got mercenaries hot on us, we need pickup RIGHT NOW!" Uni ordered.

"Heads up, we've got company!" Lucas shouted, before taking the heavy machine gun mounted on top and opening fire on the enemy.

"Uni, we see the problem. A free Aurelian fighter squadron is on route for a strafing run, we're coming in close behind them." the pilot announced.

"ETA?" Uni asked.

"Three minutes." the pilot replied.

"AGH, YOU'RE USELESS! WE'RE GOING TO BE GOOD AS DEAD IN THREE MINUTES!" Uni shouted.

"Sorry, but that's the best we've got. We're relaying your IFF signatures to the Aurelian planes, so just hold on." the pilot replied. everyone heard a sigh come from Uni.

"Alright. We're counting on you." Uni said before closing the link.

"We've just got to hold out until then, it seems." Snake said as he continued to hot wire the car. Within a minute, a few of the elite mercs fell, but they didn't fall back.

"We're going to run out of ammo!" Lucas said as the machine gun used up more and more bullets.

"This isn't good!" Nepgear shouted as she returned fire with a pistol she had found.

"This is it, man! I'm going to die!" a commando panicked as his gun clicked, signaling the last of his ammo.

"If we don't do something soon, we're ALL dead!" another commando said as he tossed a grenade.

"This is Alpha Team to Bravo Team, we've come under fire. We don't know how much longer we will last! If you've got the package, get out now!" Uni announced on the communicator.

"All Bravo team members are out of Aurelius's airspace." Cortana announced.

"Bad news, Alpha Team. The squadron sent to perform the air strike has been destroyed by enemy aircraft. Air support's not coming." the pilot called.

"No..." Nepgear mouthed. Suddenly a loud roar could be heard as the car started. With a jerk, they were off.

"Yea! Hahaha! Cya, suckers!" Lucas shouted as the enemy seemed to get smaller.

"Alpha Team, what's going on?! IFF tag shows us you're on the move!" the pilot shouted.

"We've got a running car and are escaping the area. Can you come alongside and pick us up?" Uni asked.

"We'll try, but-" the pilot began, before being cut off by an alert.

"Awh, shit! Alpha Team, you've got mercenary patrols hot on your tail, and they've got RPGs!" the pilot shouted. In a second, an RPG was launched, and detonated by the side of the car. The car wasn't damaged, but the force was enough to knock Uni out of the back, her weapon left behind.

"NO! UNI!" Nepgear shouted.

"I'm okay. Just a little scraped up... Oh, geez." Uni said on the communicator, before realizing that Mercs were too close.

"Oh no!" Nepgear shouted. "SNAKE! TURN THIS THING AROUND, WE HAVE TO GO BACK FOR HER!" Nepgear shouted.

"Nepgear! Forget about me! Just get out of here! Get Azure Heart safe!" Uni ordered.

"I can't! There's no way I'd leave my best friend behind!" Nepgear shouted back.

"Nepgear. It's okay. I'll see you again soon." Uni said again, before communications fade and then cut entirely.

"UNI-I!" Nepgear shouted, before putting her hands in her face in shame.

"It's my fault all this happened." Nepgear said sadly.

"No. It's mine." Luna said.

"We have to do something! Who knows what sick things they can do to her!" Nepgear said.

"Nepgear. There's nothing more we can do right now. We can come back for her later, but what's done is done." Lucas said.

"How can you say that?!" Nepgear snapped back. This left a saddened face on Lucas. Clearly, he knew the pain of leaving someone he cared about behind while the enemy swarmed over them.

"Alpha Team, we're here for pickup. Come on in!" the pilot said. In front of them, a Pelican materialized from thin air before landing in a clearing. Snake stopped the car, and everyone ran inside the dropship, before taking off and vanishing again.

* * *

"What?! You left my sister behind?!" Noire asked at the top of her lungs as the group reentered the basilicom. It was obvious she was livid. Andrew and Neptune glanced back with dismay at the news.

"She wished for us to do so, wanting us to complete the mission." Nepgear explained, tears coming from her eyes. Seeing this, Noire lightened up a bit as she thought about it.

"It's true. I heard the communications as we tried to escape." Lucas said, covering for the Purple Sister. Noire then lightened up fully.

"Alright, Nepgear. Let's get you cleaned up. We need to think up a strategy to get her free, and we need your help to do it." Noire said with a smile. Nepgear merely nodded in reply.

"Do we still have eyes on her?" Andrew asked, facing IF.

"We still have a visual on her IFF tag via satellite feed, so it shouldn't be too hard." IF replied as she broke the lock on Luna's HDD inhibitor with Nepgear's special tool. In ten minutes, they had their preparations ready for reinsertion. If they wanted to get Uni back, they have to do it fast.

"So, Bravo Team, you, Nepgear, Lance and I will be going in. We've got a CPU candidate to rescue." Noire announced.

* * *

Uni was sitting in the front room as the merc that captured her stood around, not wanting to be the bearer of the news to his commanding officer that Luna escaped.

"You guys have some nerve coming into this place and freeing that witch." the merc said in a raspy tone. Uni sighed in reply, waiting for a possible beating or enslavement. "Not much to say, do you girl?" the merc asked, irritated at her silence.

"Is this an interrogation? Because you know I won't talk." Uni said defiantly. The mercenary simply gave out an exasperated sigh as he rubbed his head.

"I've got something to do. Stay here, and don't move!" the mercenary ordered, before wandering off to another part of the farmhouse.

"Thank heavens they didn't defile me like they did my sister. That was horrible. But... where do they keep getting these collars?" Uni muttered to herself. An inhibited transformation was bad enough for her as it was, but she was worried that she would be enslaved in Luna's stead, if not beaten with a big stick. In a flash of light, though, one of the walls simply ceased to exist as dust poured in, and she remembered the IFF tag she still had. From the dust, Uni could make out the figure of her older Sister, Noire, who had transformed.

"Uni, are you alright?" Noire called.

"Yea. I'm okay." Uni replied, her voice a little shaky.

"Uni!" Nepgear shouted as she ran in, embracing her friend tightly.

"Agh! You're- crushing me!" Uni groaned as Nepgear held her close, causing Noire to give off a poorly stifled laugh. In a second, Nepgear ended her hug.

"Well, let's get out of here." Noire said, calming herself down as they walked back onto the Pelican they came in on and left with haste. The Mercenary barely had time to return to the ruined front room and see the escaping dropship fly away at high speed, before a flight of F-117s from Lastation bombed the place with napalm. The flight back to Lastation was uneventful, though Lance and Noire were glad that she wasn't defiled. Neither of them wanted a repeat of what that creep did in Lastation before he died. It had been nearly an hour before they returned to the Basilicom.

* * *

"So, Luna, are you feeling okay?" Lucas asked as Luna scarfed down a fattening bowl of rice and broiled steak like a child, trying to get her energy back.

"I guess..." Luna replied with her mouth full.

"Half starved... almost like I was..." Neptune muttered aloud, which Luna caught with disdain.

"So it's true... You were also enslaved." Luna said in reply.

"Yea." Neptune replied, a heavy sigh. It was a second later that they heard a loud gulp, as Luna finished the last of her rice bowl.

"My complements to the chef." Luna muttered.

"Go ahead and get some rest, Ms. Azure Heart. You'll need it if you want to regain your strength completely." Andrew said, and Luna left the room.

"She'll be fine, right?" Lucas asked.

"She should be. Her time as a slave really took a lot out of her, so plenty of rest, water, and fattening foods will do her good in getting her back to full strength." Compa said, looking over the notes from her diagnosis. It was then that everyone else walked back inside, Uni entering first. There was a small celebration now that everyone was home safe.

"Listen. There are plenty of people who don't fully understand Luna, but I do, being the closest she has to a friend. She has this... unique ability. Her power as goddess is linked with the stars of Celestia, and thus she is able to predict the future, read prophecies, heal wounds, and even rekindle the life of fallen comrades. That's why her circlet and tiara are special to her, they provide her with that link." Lucas explained.

"So she's not... like other CPUs?" Andrew asked, unsure of what he was hearing.

"Indeed. She is quite mysterious." Lucas replied.

"Does she have a preferred weapon?" Nepgear asked.

"She uses a bow, so yea. The arrows she uses she casts magically with the elements of fire and ice, so she can do a variety of attacks." Lucas said in a mildly happy tone.

"Now that is interesting." Zeri said, before looking over a novel he borrowed from Blanc. Everyone nodded in approval. It was then that Titus walked in from the other room.

"Since we're all here, I wanted to say thank you for getting her out alive. The nation can rest easy knowing that she is safe. All that remains now is a preemptive strike on a strategic target to rally the revolutionaries back home." Titus said with a smile. Histoire was floating next to him, a smile on her face.

"We can worry about that later, when Luna regains her strength. Right now is a great time to rest and plan ahead." Noire said, and everyone was in agreement.

* * *

That night, Andrew and Neptune were outside on a hill overlooking the city, sharing a pudding, while people were hard at work restructuring and repairing the mangled basilicom behind them.

"It's not everyday we get to enjoy a moment like this. Sharing a pudding under the stars... together..." Andrew said blissfully as he chomped on another mouthful of his pudding, a smile on his face.

"Yea. And it's rare that we get to share it under Lastation's starlit night sky. It's even prettier with all the smog gone." Neptune said in agreement. Histoire was out there watching over the two of them, a tearful smile on her face. It was at that moment that Luna walked out and joined them, a chocolate pudding in her hands.

"Feeling any better, Luna?" Andrew asked.

"Yea. Thanks to your consideration, I was able to recover a significant amount of strength. It's been almost a decade since I felt like this. Thank you very much." Luna said, a smile on her face that seemed brighter than the stars.

"Awwh, you're welcome. I mean, we CPUs have to stick together, right?" Neptune cooed, prompting giggling from Luna.

"I guess you're right, Neptune." Luna said, her smile still beaming brightly. In the distance, Andrew could see Kagami Hiiragi, standing watch over the fields, holding her staff at her side as her purplish hair and red skirt flow in the breeze.

"Hmm... I wonder what Kagami is thinking right now." Andrew muttered, finishing off the rest of his pudding.

"Yea... I wonder that, too." Neptune muttered. "OW! ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow." Neptune screamed as the scar on her right hand acted up.

"Is your hand giving you problems again?" Andrew asked.

"Yea. Ow that hurts." Neptune groaned, holding her right hand. She hadn't realized Luna sitting uncomfortably close to her until both of her hands sandwiched Neptune's. In an instant, Luna began to glow a pale blue, which faded after a short minute, before she walked away again and sat next to Andrew.

"Hey... it doesn't hurt any..." Neptune began, then noticed something strange.

"The scar! It's gone!" Andrew said in amazement.

"Lucas did say she had healing powers, but... this is totally rad!" Neptune said, before she glomped Luna.

"Thank you, Luna! I don't know how to repay you!" Neptune shouted. Histoire and Luna began giggling at the same time.

"You should be able to fight again, Neptune. Go ahead, cast your sword and give it a try." Histoire suggested as Neptune walked to an open area where people were not standing. In a flash, Neptune grabs her sword and unsheathes it, wielding it in a way she hadn't done in days. She began chopping at the air with several moves and stances, before sheathing the blade back into its scabbard and walking back with a smile.

"It has been days since I've been able to hold a sword. I owe you all my gratitude, Luna." Neptune said with a cheerful smile. It was then that Kagami walked up, smiling at the fact that Neptune is back to fighting condition.

"Glad to have you fighting again, Nep. It's been a long time since I've seen that fighting style." Kagami said, before sitting down with everyone.

"Care for a pudding, Kagami?" Neptune asked, reaching for a spare pudding in the small cooler.

"Sure." Kagami replied as a vanilla pudding cup was tossed to her. She caught it and promptly opened it up, taking a bite. The look of ecstasy that followed was golden, as she fell over, enjoying the sweet flavor as it melted on her tongue. Andrew and Neptune could only follow, holding each other close as they stared at the night sky. Above them, a flight of F-22A Raptors from a nearby airbase flew a wide patrol, their colored lights adding to the beauty of the night sky.

"It's so peaceful. Almost as if this war never happened at all." Luna said happily as she gazed at the stars. All she got back was an "Mhmm." from Kagami, Andrew and Neptune. "My Basilicom had a glass roof on the top floor, and I'd alway watch the stars as I fell asleep in bed. Nothing ever beats the feeling you get when you stare at the night sky." Luna continued. This granted her a gaze of interest from Histoire, who hadn't thought of a glass roof. However, there was only silence as everyone continued to look at the sky.

It was then that Andrew pointed to Neptune a shooting star, and they promptly wished together for a day of peace tomorrow, where they can all recuperate and do things together they couldn't otherwise do with the war going on. With their wishing complete, it was almost as if they've hit something that will bring about a good change tomorrow. They continued to stare at the sky - and at each other - for the next couple minutes, failing to notice Noire, Uni and Nepgear as they walked up.

"Well, they've had to close the Basilicom down for the night. They've put together a temporary residence for all of us outside the city at Osiris Air Base, which they've turned the base into a refugee camp while the city is rebuilt." Noire explained. At this moment, everyone got up and got ready to leave.

* * *

It was an hour of driving by limousine before they reached Osiris AB, and they went into their separate rooms.

"It's nice that we got our own room together." Andrew said happily.

"Yea. I bet Noire and Lance feel the same way. They've probably got an unused officer's quarters, though." Neptune replied as Andrew poured the both of them a glass of champagne. The both of them took their glasses.

"Here's to our continued happiness." Andrew said, before they both took a drink. With that, they got ready for bed. Two minutes later, the both of them were in bed with the lights off, holding each other close once more. In an instant, the both of them drifted off to a deep sleep, a smile on their faces. Their sleep, however, was not an easy one, and they had a very weird dream, able to hear Luna's voice as they slept.

"There is a prophecy you both must know." the voice said. "The Shield must give way to the sword before the flames of war are extinguished." the voice continued, as an image of Purple Shield getting stabbed by a demonic-looking Jose Carter, before dying a slow, painful death in a weeping Neptune's arms, played through their heads.

END OF EPISODE 3 OF "THE NEPTUNIA CHRONICLES."

* * *

-AUTHOR'S NOTES-

Just a short chapter, this time. Got plenty more on the way, so just be patient.

I have put my other Neptunia fanfic - the Re;Birth 1 retelling one - on short hiatus while this is worked on, so expect faster progress.

That's all for now! Like always, stay cool, and keep on Nepping! C'ya! (･ω)


	4. The Prophecy and A Day of Peace

RECAP: Last time on The Neptunia Chronicles; Our heroes rescued the enslaved Aurelian goddess... and Andrew and Neptune spend more time together.

Neptune: That was a short recap!

Author: Yes, but please let me read the story.

* * *

 **-WARNING-**  
Contains Crossdressing

* * *

 **The Neptunia Chronicles**  
 **The Prophecy/A Day of Peace**

Andrew and Neptune wake up the next morning with a start, having heard Luna's voice and witnessed Andrew's death in the same dream.

"That was a strange dream. I could swear I heard Luna's voice." Andrew said, rubbing his tired face.

"You and me both. That was-" Neptune replied before cutting herself off, as if noticing something that had eluded her. "Wait... You had the same dream? You heard that prophecy and saw your own death?" Neptune asked, a shocked expression on her face.

"Yea... I think I did... this is insane." Andrew replied.

"More than insane, man. There's no way this is but a mere coincidence." Neptune said.

"Agreed. We should ask Luna and Histoire about this "prophecy." If anyone can shed some light on it, it's them." Andrew suggested as he got his shoes on.

"I hope this prophecy doesn't come true..." Neptune thought, worried about her lover, as they walked to the break room.

* * *

Andrew and Neptune enter the break room, where breakfast was to be served, and see it empty, other than Histoire floating around.

"Good morning, you two." Histoire greeted cheerfully.

"Histoire? Where is everyone?" Neptune asked as she looked around.

"They're still in bed or otherwise getting ready? Why" Histoire asked, confused.

"Well... Never mind that. We need to speak to you and Luna about something, and it is important." Andrew said.

"What seems to be the matter?" Histoire asked as Luna walked in, yawning, before taking her place next to her. Luna looked to be somewhat sleepy, but in a good enough state to hear what has to be said.

"Well, the thing is... Luna read us a prophecy in our sleep, a very concerning one too. We're hoping the two of you would be able to interpret it." Andrew began.

"What was the prophecy?" Histoire asked curiously.

"The prophecy read "The Shield must give way to the sword before the flames of war are extinguished."" Andrew explained.

"And that is concerning... how?" Histoire asked, maintaining her curiosity.

"That's only the tip of the iceberg, Histy. We also witnessed his death in the same dream as the prophecy." Neptune said, referring to Andrew. What came over Histoire next was a look of dread, while Luna had a serious look on her face.

"What? What is it?!" Andrew asked, now VERY concerned.

"It means that you will have to die in an act of sacrifice for the war to end, Purple Shield. Take heed, that my prophecies are VERY rarely wrong, and you will find yourself in a situation in which there will be no alternative to turn to." Luna explained. This left Neptune to gulp, fearful for Andrew's life.

"Don't worry, Neptune, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Andrew said with a sigh, before turning to Histoire. "Anything to report on the war, Histoire?" Andrew asked.

"No, nothing new. You guys have a day off, a day to yourselves." Histoire explained, calming down a bit. At that moment, Noire and Lance walked in, followed by Konata, Kagami, IF, Avan, Zeri, Compa, and someone else Andrew didn't know.

"Good morning you two." Noire greeted. Andrew and Neptune nodded, before turning to Kagami.

"Kagami, who is this?" Neptune asked.

"This is my twin sister, Tsukasa. Tsukasa, these are my other friends that I told you about; Andrew, Neptune, Noire, Lance, Avan, Zeri, IF, and Compa." Kagami introduced.

"Hello." Tsukasa said with a bow. It was then that two sabres shown on her back.

"Quite the number of swordsmen in our world, now." Andrew muttered out loud.

"By my reckoning, I prefer the term "swordmaster" Andrew." Tsukasa mentioned, her short, purple hair waving under the A/C as she smiled.

"It's nice to meet you, Tsukasa. When did you come in our dimension?" Neptune asked, a rather forced smile on her face.

"Oh, only yesterday. I was since training with Kona-chan and Cloud." Tsukasa explained. "You don't mind if I call you "Nep-san" do you?" Tsukasa asked.

"No, not at all, you can call me anything you like." Neptune replied in a chipper tone. Her happy tone made Andrew smile again. It was at that moment that breakfast was being served, in the form of eggs, bacon, hash browns, and biscuits and gravy. Everyone grabbed a plate and got whatever they wanted, before sitting down. Andrew and Neptune got a small table for two in the interconnected dining hall.

"I really hope that this is one of those very rare prophecies that are wrong." Neptune said quietly, making Andrew sad again.

"Please don't think about it right now, Neptune. We still have a long way to go before then." Andrew said just as quietly.

"How can you say that with the knowledge of your own death?" Neptune asked, knowing she's going to take his death very hard.

"We can deal with the now and spend as much time together as we can until then." Andrew said as he wiped gravy off his face. His response garnered a genuine smile from Neptune.

"That's the sort of response I've come to expect from you." Neptune said, taking a bite of her bacon. It was a good ten minutes before they were done, and they excused themselves from the room.

"So, what would you like to do?" Andrew asked. Neptune scratched her head as she thought about it.

"We could always go home, back to Planeptune, and do some shopping." Neptune suggested.

"Sounds like a plan. You may go on ahead if you wish. I'll stay here with the others." Histoire said, giving them the go ahead to head for Planeptune.

"Thanks, Histoire!" Andrew said as he and Neptune left the building, before transforming and flying off, hand in hand.

* * *

Andrew and Neptune land in Planeptune's Market District and transform back into their human forms, before checking their wallets.

"Well, we've got plenty of credits from our work in the Guild a month ago. Lets look around the shops and see what we like, and then grab some lunch before we head back." Andrew said. Neptune nodded at the suggestion, before walking towards a jewelry shop.

"Hello, what can I get for you?" the woman at the counter asked. Neptune and Andrew looked at the different necklaces and stuff, and one caught Andrew's eye.

"Hey, Neptune? What about this one? It matches your hairpieces." Andrew said, pointing to a sterling silver and amethyst necklace with a D-pad as its center piece. Neptune eyed the suggestion like a hawk, before smiling and nodding. As if though the woman at the counter were listening to them intently, she walked over and got the necklace out of the display case.

"That's a very good choice for your girl there, sir. That'll be 600 credits." the shopkeeper said with a smile. Andrew paid the shopkeeper, and retrieved the necklace, before fastening it around Neptune's neck.

"What do you think?" Andrew asked as Neptune looked in the mirror.

"I love it!" Neptune said, as if jumping for joy, before locking into a quick kiss with Andrew. Afterwards, they leave the shop.

"We have still got plenty of money. Where to next?" Andrew asked as he gripped Neptune's hand.

"How about the clothing shop, next? I've been thinking about getting a new dress anyway." Neptune suggested. With a smile, Andrew nodded. As they walked to the clothing shop, Neptune hugged Andrew's arm and muzzled it like a cat, which fed his smile like tinder to an open flame.

They entered the clothing shop together and looked around. Other than the shopkeeper and the occasional shopper, the large clothing store was relatively empty.

"Welcome, you two. Go ahead and take a look around." the shopkeeper greeted. With a nod, Andrew and Neptune walked past the front desk and into the women's department, and scanned the dresses. Andrew laid eyes on a rather pretty, sparkled purple dress that was small and petite in size, perfect for Neptune.

"How about this one, Neptune?" Andrew asked as he held the dress out for her. Neptune looked at it and her jaw practically dropped to the floor.

"That's very pretty! Good find, Andrew!" Neptune shouted in a hushed tone, the excitement beaming from her face.

"Anything else you're looking for?" Andrew asked. Neptune looked around the rows of dresses and saw a knee-length, pale pink dress trimmed with purple and hot pink lace. It was then that she started looking between Andrew and the dress she spotted with a scheming smile that made Andrew uncomfortable when he saw it. "Neptune?... What's with the face?" Andrew asked as he saw what was going on, before she walked up and picked up the dress.

"What about this one?" Neptune asked.

"Isn't that a little... you know... big for you?" Andrew asked, unsure what was going on.

"No, not for me, silly. For _you!_ " Neptune shouted. Andrew jumped back in surprise, his face flustering violently.

"M-m-m-m-me?! Neptune, you can't be serious!" Andrew stammered, feeling like his face was dipped in molten iron.

"Awh, you're blushing! Aren't you at least a little curious about it?" Neptune cooed playfully. Andrew sighed in a vain attempt to calm down.

"Well, I will admit that I am a tad curious, but... what would the others think?" Andrew asked, still feeling hot as though he were now swimming in the molten iron from earlier.

"Ah, don't worry about it! Go ahead and try it on!" Neptune said, giggling.

"I hope you know what you're doing..." Andrew said with worry as the two of them walked to the changing rooms. "If it is my lovely Neptune asking for it, how can I say 'no'? I did say we should spend as much time with each other as we can before my eventual death, after all. Well, here goes nothing!" Andrew thought as he changed into the dress. He walked out of the changing room a minute later, holding his left arm in embarrassment. Neptune was waiting for him in the dress he picked out for her.

"How do I look?" Neptune asked.

"Good." Andrew said, his voice shaking in a vain attempt to hide his embarrassment. Neptune giggled, before turning around to see her lover.

"Hmm..." Neptune hummed as she looked him over. Despite his shaking and obvious embarrassment, she was able to get the picture. "Well, it looks good on you. We just have to do something about your hair." Neptune finally said after a full minute.

"Oh s-stop teasing me." Andrew said with an awkward laugh, trying to force a smile. It still did nothing to hide his embarrassment as he went back to collect his clothes. After an hour, they walked to the front desk, both of them shouldering a pile of skirts, dresses, and mens t-shirts, jeans, and slacks.

"What on Gamindustri are you doing wearing that dress?!" the shopkeeper shouted in a hushed tone. All Andrew could do was point at Neptune behind him, who was giggling up a storm at his expense. He made no attempt to hide his embarrassment this time. The shopkeeper looked at her. "How did you persuade your man to wear that?" the shopkeeper asked out of curiosity.

"Well, we've got a day off from our duties in the war today as Planeptune's leaders, so we felt we'd have the whole day together. I asked him about this and there was no way he could say 'no'." Neptune explained with a childish half-lie, not willing to disclose Andrew's future death as per the prophecy they had heard.

"Wait, you're Purple Heart, and that's... Purple Shield? No way!" the shopkeeper laughed - once again at Andrew's expense - as she was handed the clothing they were buying. Andrew tore the tag off his dress and handed it to the shopkeeper to be added to the list of purchases. After a minute, they got their purchase down. "Alright, the total goes up to 1,698 credits." the shopkeeper said. Andrew took the necessary money out of his wallet and handed it to the shopkeeper before putting it in one of the pockets on his dress. After a while, they had all their clothes in at least six bags. "Have a good day, you two!" The shopkeeper said with a smile as Andrew and Neptune left the clothing shop. The breeze was light, but it was enough for Andrew's flamboyant dress to flow in it, which did not help his overall embarrassment.

"Alright, let's go to the Basilicom and drop this stuff off. No sense in carrying it around." Andrew suggested. They transformed and flew the whole way to the basilicom, before dropping the clothes they bought off in their bedroom. Afterwards they flew back to the market district. "Where to next?" Andrew asked, still flustering.

"Well, I kinda feel like getting some steak." Neptune said, obviously thinking hard about this.

"Alright then. Let's go to the local steakhouse." Andrew answered in reply, a small smile across his face.

"Be careful not to get any grease or steak sauce on your dress now!" Neptune teased. Andrew groaned in reply as Neptune laughed at her words.

"Are you going to tease me all day about this? It was your decision after all." Andrew said in minor annoyance and even worse embarrassment than earlier.

"No, no. You're right." Neptune said as she forced herself to calm down. It took a while before the two of them entered the local steakhouse.

"Hello. Welcome to The Purple Steakhouse, best steak this side of Planeptune." a waitress said in greeting. "Two friends eating out, I see... no. Purple Heart? Who's that with you?" the waitress asked as she was making the connections.

"That's my Hubby, actually." Neptune replied playfully. The waitress looked at Andrew for a second to see what she was talking about.

"Hey, you're right! How did you get him to wear a dress?!" the waitress asked curiously, getting the attention of some people nearby as Andrew looked away nervously, flustering hard.

"Long story, too hungry! Let's get a table for two, please!" Neptune said, dismissing the issue. The waitress laughed as she showed the two of them to a table.

"How much more laughing and stares will I have to endure before the day is out?" Andrew thought to himself as he sat down, the flamboyant dress getting somewhat in his way as he did.

"Andrew, you've gotta sit properly, you'll wrinkle your dress like that." Neptune said in a hushed tone. Andrew sat back up and folded the skirt under him before he sat back down. "Yea, like that." Neptune said, trying to make sure he doesn't go nuts from the embarrassment. Andrew simply sighed as he waited for the waitress to return for their order. He didn't have to wait long, as she returned with a booklet.

"I'll take your order now." the waitress said.

"I'll have the special." Neptune said. The waitress looked at Andrew as she wrote Neptune's order.

"Same as her." Andrew replied shortly, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself. It was mortifying enough with the prospect of having to explain this to Histoire and the others without getting teased by them for the rest of his life. The waitress left after jotting down the notes.

"How does it feel to wear a dress?" Neptune asked, staying to the point.

"Well... humiliating, yet at the same time... exhilarating, somehow. It's a very odd sensation." Andrew answered, doing his best not to sound stupid and make the situation worse.

"Well, you'll get used to it. We can make this our own little gig, just between the both of us." Neptune said in an attempt to calm him down.

"That's if the others don't find out first. Which I know they will, no doubt." Andrew answered. Her promise did make him feel a little better, however.

"In which case we will have to explain to them what happened." Neptune said.

"Then of course there's the possibility of this spreading like a wildfire across Gamindustri. Then where would I be?" Andrew said.

"Stop making up excu-" Neptune began. "Oh... some people heard. That waitress said it too loud." Neptune concluded as she looked away. It was only a moment before she looked back in his eyes. "Tell you what. If any issues arise from this, I'll take the brunt of the backlash and tell them the truth-the WHOLE truth. We're just a married couple having a good time together, after all." Neptune vowed. Her vow made Andrew feel quite a bit better, though the nervousness and embarrassment still seethed in him.

"Thank you, Neptune." Andrew said with a genuine smile. "So, what do you suppose we do for the rest of the day?" Andrew asked.

"You mean, after we get back to Lastation? I don't know." Neptune said.

"I guess we'll have to figure that one out on our own at the spur of the moment." Andrew said with a rather shaky laugh. Neptune giggled at his answer.

"I guess so." Neptune replied. The two of them continued to talk for several minutes until their food arrived. The special wasn't completely special, just some medium-rare t-bone steak and mashed potatoes and gravy on a bed of rice pilaf, garnished with different herbs.

"Well, let us dig in." Neptune said as she and Andrew put napkins over their clothes to prevent stains, before they started eating. They had a glass of soda each to drink, which they drank every now and then to wash down the food.

"I have to admit, this is some really good steak." Andrew said as he took his next bite.

"Indeed. Now I know why they claim to have the best steak on this side of Planeptune." Neptune agreed, swallowing her food. Just the fact that they were having a good time with lunch together made Andrew forget completely about the dress he was wearing. It was ten minutes before they finished.

"Ready to go?" Andrew asked as he looked at Neptune.

"Yea. Let's get going." Neptune replied as they got up and shuffled their way out of the table, and walked to the front table where their their waitress waited for them.

"Here's the money, ma'am. We really enjoyed our time here." Andrew said with a smile.

"Thank you for coming, the two of you. Good luck!" The waitress said as Andrew and Neptune left.

"Well, let's return to Lastation with the others." Andrew said as he transformed. Neptune followed suit, and in a moment they were off, hand in hand once more.

* * *

Neptune and Andrew landed back at Osiris Air Base and walk inside, before transforming back into their human form.

"Hello, Neptune, Andr-" Histoire began to greet, but was caught off guard by an odd sight. It was at that moment that Andrew remembered that he was still wearing a dress, and now their friends know. Quick to come in behind Histoire was IF, Compa, Noire, Nepgear, Uni, Rom, Ram, Luna, Kagami, and Tsukasa, who crowded around to see what was up.

"What's with the dress?" Histoire asked, her face showing irritation beyond measure. Andrew's fluster and seething, nervous embarrassment returned at full force like high speed train plowing right into him, and he looked away mortified.

"That was my idea." Neptune said. Just as she promised, she was covering for him. Histoire just raised an eyebrow. "Well, remember the prophecy? Andrew and I agreed to spend as much time and have as much fun together as we can until the day comes. I made the suggestion that he wear the dress, thinking this would be between the two of us. Now that you guys know, I am not so sure." Neptune explained. Histoire simply looked on with a puzzled, yet still irritated look. It was clear that she understood Neptune's meaning behind the thing, but she didn't approve of it either way with more pressing matters to look forward to come tomorrow. Luna was fighting through the crowd and got to the front, eying Andrew with curiosity.

"Well, it definitely suits him." Luna finally said, her somewhat childish mentality showing through.

"Yea, I see what you mean, but I don't think it is appropriate." Noire said, blushing a deep red.

"Nah, I think this version of him might be interesting!" Uni shouted.

"I agree with that assessment. I mean we need to find some way to keep our spirits up, right?" Ram said.

"Now that you mention it, yea. I guess there's nothing wrong with it on our end, just so long as the two of you don't let it get to your heads." Noire replied. Neptune looked around and saw IF and Compa looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Hey, Iffy, Compa, if you have any problems with this image, please tell me." Neptune said.

"I don't think this is a good time to get everyone's opinions, Neptune!" Andrew thought. He was ready to say those words, but he kept them to himself. What was the point? He was basically going to be getting mixed reviews from everyone around him like a strange, walking piece of art.

"Hmm..." Compa said as she thought about what was going on.

"Nah... I can see nothing wrong with it if it's just in good fun between the two of you, it's just... how you got him to go along with this is beyond me." IF said, looking directly at Neptune. Compa merely nodded in agreement.

"Sister?" Neptune asked.

"Nope! Nothing wrong with it on my end. Just, be careful with where you guys go, some people will take this as a sign of weakness." Nepgear said with a friendly smile.

"Nothing wrong with it on my end, either! He looks kinda cute!" Tsukasa said with a playful smile. Her words made Kagami, IF, and Noire fluster harder than Andrew was right now.

"Gee, thanks." was all Andrew could muster.

"Huh? Was it something I said?" Tsukasa asked.

"No. I appreciate the compliment. It's just that you set Noire, IF, and even your sister off with it." Andrew replied, still flustering.

"Here's hoping the other guys don't come in and screw things over." Luna said, not wanting Andrew to feel any worse than he probably already does.

"Speak of the devil. I see them right now." Ram said with a look of worry. She was right, Lance was approaching, followed by Avan Zeri, Cloud, and Cosette.

"What is going- oh geez." Lance said as he noticed what was going on.

"What is this, some kind of sick joke?!" Avan shouted.

"Actually... it was Nep's idea." IF interjected. That caused them to lighten up, though Cloud was behaving far differently than how people thought he would react.

"Well... I'd say if you styled his hair right, he'd definitely look the part." Lance said after some measure of thought. Avan and Zeri both had a look of indifference, which was to be expected from two guys in military uniform. Cloud, however...

"Hey, why is Cloud blushing so much?" Neptune asked.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say he's looking at something he experienced first hand." Luna suggested,

"That's preposterous! There's no way a brute like him would-" Zeri shouted, before being cut off.

"No, she's right." Cloud said. Zeri looked back at him as if he smoked something.

"Please, Cloud. Explain how a brute like you would end up wearing something like that." Avan said, confused about the whole situation.

"Well... It was in the Midgar Slums, before Meteor." Cloud began. He goes on a long monologue about how his friend Tifa captured by Corneo, a local Don. Aerith told him how the only way to get her free was to imitate the role of a woman himself in order to sneak into the Don's estate in Wall Market. Skipping the irrelevant details, he mentioned that Tifa allowed herself to be captured in an effort to gain intelligence from Corneo himself. He concluded that the intelligence they gained indicated a plot by Shin-Ra to topple the plate on top of Sector Seven and blame it on AVALANCHE, a group he was a member of. "Sadly, we failed to prevent the scheme, and Sector Seven was destroyed at a great loss of life." Cloud concluded.

"Hmm." Zeri thought.

"To think that Shin-Ra would drop a section of a floating city onto it's own citizens like that..." Cosette muttered.

"Sounds an awful lot like the Avenir corporation before we beat the snot out of them." Neptune interjected. There was silence as Zeri thought of what he heard.

"Come to think of it, I can see the military applications of... whatever this is... in espionage, no matter how inappropriate it seems." Zeri concluded after a lot of thought.

"So, you understand?" Neptune asked.

"Yea, we kinda do, though how you got him to agree with this is beyond me." Zeri responded. Histoire lightened up a bit, having a change of heart after hearing everyone's opinion.

"Yea, everyone's said that to us." Andrew interjected, unable to hide his embarrassment.

"Well, I guess if everyone else is okay with it, I will have no problem with it. Just keep it amongst yourselves, okay?" Histoire said, with a small request.

"Okay." Neptune said, while Andrew nodded meekly.

"Andrew, why don't you go ahead and get changed. A group of pilots requested something for the two of you." Histoire said. Andrew nodded and turned towards the dormitory he and Neptune have for the day. "Guys, please don't mention this incident to anyone else. I don't want things to spiral out of control." Histoire ordered. Everyone responded with a simple "yes" before going their separate ways. Andrew returned two minutes later in his normal attire looking better than he did earlier. His nervousness was gone, though he was still slightly embarrassed.

"Alright, so what's this special thing?" Netpune asked Histoire.

"The base commander is waiting for you on the tarmac. He says to see him as soon as you're ready." Histoire said. Andrew and Neptune looked at each other.

"Well, shoot. This'll be interesting." Neptune said with a rather neutral face.

* * *

Andrew and Neptune were walking on the tarmac, and saw the base commander standing next to what looked like an F-15 ACTIVE.

"Neptune, Andrew. Which one of you is most competent in flying a plane?" the base commander asked. Neptune shook her head, but Andrew raised his hand. "How much experience?" the base commander asked.

"2,000 hours in simulator, plus 600 hours actual." Andrew responded. He was a gifted pilot, having flown an F-5A that he purchased while he was still in his dimension, before his world came crashing down around him.

"Well, the two of you are lucky. The pilots of Task Force 118, Infinity Squadron requested that you two fly with them on recon and training exercises. For this task, you've been given an-" the base commander explained.

"F-15S/MTD." Andrew finished. His words made the base commander give off a satisfied smirk.

"You've got the knowledge, Purple Shield. Impressive." the base commander complemented.

"Thank you. When you have a lot of spare time, you learn some things." Andrew replied.

"Indeed. You'll be armed with the usual loadout, 20mm cannon, AIM-9M sidewinders and AIM-120D AMRAAMs. Make sure that when you lock on our boys during the exercise that you do NOT fire." the base commander explained further.

"Understood, commander." Andrew said.

"Oh, before I forget, the pilots of 118 are hardcore. They'll use every known trick against you, so don't hold back." the commander warned.

"Got it." Andrew said as he put on the HMD he was handed while a member of the ground crew helped Neptune with hers. Since the two of them were basically deities, there was no need for a flight suit.

"Hey, she won't fit her HMD!" a crewman on the ground shouted, noticing that Neptune was too small for any standard-sized HMD. She and Andrew looked at each other. He was having some light trouble with weight.

"Guess we'll be flying in Hard Drive mode." Andrew said with a shrug, before transforming. Neptune transformed as well, and they were pretty much ready.

"You guys don't have any wings on you this time, so you'd better put your trust in your pilot instincts and your bird." the commander said as he eyed Purple Heart and Purple Shield, who had transformed without opting for their own wings. Andrew remained silent as he helped Neptune into the rear seat of the cockpit. After getting her buckled in, Andrew stepped into the pilot seat and buckled in himself, before going through checks. He didn't need a headset because his communicator can interface with the radios of allied aircraft, something he did on the day he rescued Neptune from Jose.

"Alright, kid, good luck." the commander said. Andrew laughed at the word "kid" as he closed the canopy and started the two jet engines.

"Canopy closed and locked. Chocks away, ready to taxi." Andrew announced on his communicator as a holographic screen popped up in front of him. It didn't interfere much as it resized to fit the small cockpit.

"Purple Shield, you are clear to taxi to runway 14 for immediate takeoff. Expect headwinds of 1-5 knots and clear skies." the tower called, appearing on Andrew's holographic screen as a bouncing line to visualize the audio transmission.

"Taxi to Runway 14 for immediate takeoff, roger." Andrew called back as he opened the throttle a little, and the F-15S/MTD rolled at a slow speed towards the designated runway. It only took 5 minutes but they got to the runway for takeoff.

"Purple Shield, clear for takeoff." the tower called as Andrew turned onto the runway.

"Takeoff clearance granted for Purple Shield, acknowledged." Andrew read back. As he opened the throttle further, the afterburners ignited, and the F-15S/MTD rocketed into the air. "Five hundred feet, gear up, flaps to zero." Andrew said as he went through post-takeoff checklists.

"Purple Shield! Nice of you to join us today! This is Infinity One, callsign Reaper, looking forward to flying with you!" a pilot called out, his flight helmet showing up on screen. "We've got more friends of ours coming. Free Aurelian Air Force Ishtar Squadron and William Bishop of the Lastation Air Force will join you as our "opposition" for the exercises. Until then, form up on our six o'clock and engage in patrol." Reaper continued.

"Got it!" Andrew replied as he maneuvered his plane to be sandwiched between the F/A-38s and the F-22 Raptor currently in arrow formation.

"Now THIS is what I call a squadron!" one of the F/A-38 pilots called. Andrew and Neptune couldn't help but chuckle at his comment as they flew between the planes.

"Approaching checkpoint one. No enemies thus far." Reaper called out as he turned his F-22 30 degrees to the left. All the other planes followed suit.

"You know, I've never flown in a fighter jet before." Neptune said.

"I used to have an F-5A Freedom Fighter in the world I came from. She was an absolute joy to fly." Andrew said with a smile as he maintained position.

"I'll bet. You don't see too many of those in active service anymore. Most are either mock targets for training or planes in aerial display teams. The rest are junk or in civilian hands, if not in the hands of, dare I say, a mercenary." a pilot replied.

"Ah, those F-5's are total trash in mercenary hands! It's the Flankers, Burkuts, PAK-FAs, and that Nosferatu we have to look out for." another pilot said in response.

"Speaking of, I heard rumors about that Nosferatu that everyone talks about so much." yet another pilot interjected.

"Rumors?" Andrew asked.

"Yea. I heard Jose himself flies that." the other pilot replied.

Andrew then had a flashback to day two of the whole war when it only a small scale conflict. The Nosferatu that came in and wiped out a number of allied planes with those swarm missiles, just as IF tore a large wound in the enemy's air forces with Lastation's prototype fighter.

"Purple Shield. Don't tell me you've had enough!" Reaper called to him.

"No, sorry. Just had a flashback is all. I remember that Nosferatu as if it were yesterday." Andrew replied, shaking his head.

"Well? Just don't lose your head, Paladin-Knight. That's the last thing you want to do in a dogfight." Reaper replied.

"Thanks." Andrew replied back.

"Hey, don't mention it. Just don't crash into anything before the fun really starts." the pilot to his right called out to him, before breaking out into a fit of laughter.

"Approaching checkpoint 3. Everyone, remain on watch. The day may have been peaceful, but Jose may have a his little birdie ready to flip us all off at any second." Reaper said.

"Acknowledged, lead." a pilot said in response. The six planes continued their patrol over Lastation's airspace.

* * *

"Arriving at Checkpoint 5." Reaper called. In an instant, bogeys popped up on radar, their IFFs identifying them as friendlies.

"Heads up, boys, our friends are here. Purple Shield, go ahead and leave formation and join them. The exercise will start in about two minutes." Reaper called. Andrew pulled back on the stick and left formation, before joining the other team.

"This is AWACS Juggernaut, here's how the exercise will work. You have been separated into two different teams. Purple Team, under the command of Purple Shield, will go after Black Team, led by Reaper, and vise versa, in an all out mock dogfight. When one pilot gets a missile lock on their target for five seconds, the locked target will be marked as "SHOT DOWN" and their IFF markings will turn neutral. Though this is a mock battle, Jose's mercenary air force will not hold back in a real battle, so don't hold back yourselves. I'll alert you if something pops up. Juggernaut, out." the AWACS explained. Outside the battlespace was an E-3 Sentry running a standard pattern.

"Alright. Let's see who the top guns are. Ready, Neptune?" Andrew asked.

"Ready as ever!" Neptune replied.

"Begin!" Reaper ordered, and the formations quickly scrambled into a fur ball.

"All wings, break off and engage targets of opportunity, but don't forget to keep an eye on your six o'clock!" Andrew ordered as he spun around and pulled into a Split S.

"Roger!" Bishop and the Ishtar Squadron members replied, before splitting off. Andrew and Neptune quickly looked around, before spotting an Infinity Squadron F/A-38 flying lazy maneuvers.

"There! An easy target!" Neptune called out.

"Too easy. In all likelihood it is a trap." Bishop replied. Andrew looked around and found a decent target.

"Found one!" Andrew called as he opened the throttle and went after the F/A-38 chasing Ishtar 2. "Need a hand, comrade?" Andrew asked.

"Yes. And quickly. I'm not so sure how much longer I will last." the pilot of the Aurelian plane, a P-201 Sparrow, replied. Andrew got a lock, and the F/A-38 trailing the Aurelian quickly pulled up hard into a climb.

"Oh, no! You're not getting away!" Andrew said as he pulled hard, the S/MTD's thrust vectoring sending him into a Cobra which he pulls out of in a vertical climb with his afterburners. He quickly regains lock, and the F/A-38 does a suicidal maneuver. Andrew's opponent stalls, and five seconds after, his target becomes a gray box on his HMD.

"Got one!" Andrew shouted. William Bishop trailed another opponent, his R-99 Forneus faster and more nimble than the F/A-38 he chased. He quickly gets a lock, and manages to keep it within five seconds, and gets his victory. Somewhere else, Ishtar 2 was chasing another enemy plane, and got his lock. The F/A-38 pulled away from the lock with the help of VTOL.

"Agh! Damn him!" Ishtar 2 swore as he struggled to break the lock that hit him.

"I'm on my way!" Andrew said as he "switched" to his AMRAAMs and locked on to the hostile pilot at long range, getting his attention.

"Thanks again, Purple Shield." Ishtar 2 replied. However, the F/A-38 turned head on to Andrew's F-15S, and he dove for the deck.

"Seem's he's got my tail now. Bishop?" Andrew said, asking for assistance.

"On the way." Bishop replied as he turned for the deck and got behind the opponent as Andrew phased in and out of a lock. Bishop quickly got his lock, and again claimed a victory as the enemy plane turned gray.

"Thanks for the help!" Neptune said with a smile.

"Don't mention it." Bishop replied as he pulled up. Andrew scanned the skies and found a major threat, Reaper himself, closing fast.

"Alright, big guy. Want to play rough?" Andrew asked as he turned away from the engaging F-22.

"You call that your all?" Reaper laughed as he witnessed what looked like Purple Shield cowering.

"Hehehe, just watch!" Andrew replied, before he jerked the stick back. In an instant, the F-15S/MTD seemed to slow down, and even fly backwards, as it tumbled meters over Reaper's F-22 in a complete 360 degree spin, getting a lock in an instant.

"Not bad, Purple Shield!" Reaper cooed, his timer expiring as he grayed out.

"And the leader is down for the count!" Neptune shouted.

"Nice one, Purple Shield! There's just one left!" Ishtar 1 called out.

"Can't go wrong with a swarm now, can we? All planes, engage that last bandit!" Andrew ordered. However, before anyone could get a lock, the F/A-38 they were chasing suddenly turned blue on the IFF.

"Hey! What the! I had a chance there! What's going on?!" the sole surviving Infinity Squadron member shouted, demanding answers.

"All planes, this is AWACS Juggernaut! We have a flight of unknowns inbound! Cancel the exercise and execute Defensive Protocol One! I say again, cancel the exercise and execute Defensive Protocol One!" the AWACS shouted, alerting everyone to the threat. Andrew gave a sad sigh.

"So much for spending the rest of this "peaceful" day together." Andrew muttered.

"Yea..." Neptune replied, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

* * *

"All planes! The pilot of that overbuilt F-15 is Purple Shield. He is confirmed to have Neptune with him as we speak! You are ordered to shoot him down, but I want him alive!" Jose ordered as he piloted his Nosferatu into the airspace. Around him were black-colored Su-35 Super Flankers and PAK-FAs.

"Will do, sir. Purple Shield is primary target. All others are irrelevant!" a PAK-FA pilot said, before a string of menacing laughs echoed the comms.

* * *

"Andrew, what is going on? Why has the exercise been stopped?" Noire asked over Andrew's communicator.

"We've got unknown planes inbound, lots of them." Andrew replied.

"All pilots! Lead enemy craft is confirmed to be a CFA-44 Nosferatu! Same ID as the one we fought over the Western Isles!" Juggernaut alerted.

"No! Jose's attacking!" Andrew shouted.

"Hold on, I'm sending reinforcements to your position. Can you hold out a little longer?" Noire asked.

"Negative! I'm being locked! They're- they're all engaging me at once! I'm getting swarmed!" Andrew yelled. Suddenly there was a long tone.

"What's that annoying ringing?" Neptune asked.

"We've got a missile launch! Multiple vectors!" Andrew said.

"All pilots, the enemy is going after Purple Shield at once! Give him some support!" Juggernaut ordered. Immediately, all the active allied planes vectored onto the enemy, and each got missile locks.

"Come on, girl! Give us all you've got!" Andrew shouted as he entered a cobra and dumped chaff and flares, defeating the oncoming missiles.

"Missiles evaded, but you've got a whole lot more coming in from new angles, they just won't quit!" Reaper said as he locked onto an enemy plane, firing a missile. The enemy plane exploded into a fireball on impact, but there were still too many planes to focus on.

"Six! Seven, eight threats! The alarms won't shut up!" Andrew shouted as he threw his plane into a barrel roll, evading more missiles. However, one stayed tightly locked on him.

"Damn! He's got semi-active guidance on you!" Bishop warned. Andrew turned his head, seeing the threat from behind.

"No luck losing this one. I'm sorry, Noire, it seems we're done for." Andrew said as the missile exploded, setting the port engine alight.

"We've got an engine fire. Hydraulic fluid leaking fast. There's no way we can get out of here in this, we've got to bail out." Andrew said as his communicator began showing static.

"How do we do that?!" Neptune shouted.

"You see that black-and-yellow striped handle between your legs?! I want you to grab hold of it with both hands and pull it up as hard as you can! You'll be ejected from the plane and out of harms way! Do it, I'll follow suit!" Andrew instructed. Neptune grabbed hold of the handle and pulled up on it hard. In an instant, she was forced out of the cockpit, before a parachute deployed. Andrew followed suit, and he too was forced out of the wrecked plane seconds before it exploded.

* * *

"Purple Shield confirmed shot down!" one of the mercenary pilots confirmed, as a sinister smirk extended across Jose's face.

"Well done. You'll all receive a nice bonus for this! Everyone, RTB." Jose said, before they left the battlezone.

* * *

"Purple Shield is down! I have one-no, two deployed chutes!" Bishop called.

"We'll send SAR to pick them up. Please remain on station for a moment." Noire ordered. As Andrew and Neptune floated down to the ground, they couldn't shake the odd feeling that they were being hunted. They both landed on the ground, a forest floor, with a grunt, before staggering a couple yards, only to fall over and roll on their backs, their HDD forms giving out on them.

"Well... now what?" Andrew asked as he lay on the ground, his emergency beacon broadcasting their location to both allied and enemy forces alike.

"Ohhh! That was so unfair! Why'd they have to gang bang us like that?!" Neptune whined.

"I don't know, Neptune. I don't know." Andrew replied. As the hot afternoon sun beamed on them, Andrew covered his eyes in frustration and exhaustion. "We've got to get moving, Neptune. The enemy's probably on our backside right now, trying to get to us before Search and Rescue can." Andrew said as he got up, cutting the chute off of the both of them.

"Awh man! don't feel like moving an inch!" Neptune compained. Andrew just grabbed hold of her and slung her arm over his shoulder, and his arm around her chest for support.

"Come on, champ. You've resisted crushing Gs, a little walk isn't going to hurt." Andrew said with a smile, trying to cheer her up, as they slowly walked across the forest floor.

END OF EPISODE FOUR OF "THE NEPTUNIA CHRONICLES!"

* * *

 **-AUTHOR'S NOTES-**

Yes, I had Neptune suggest crossdressing to Andrew, got a problem with that?

All joking aside, I ended this quite like I wanted it to, with a cliffhanger.

There was originally a different ending to this chapter involving a dojo, which I have since edited out. I felt it was too cheesy.

Anyways, stay cool, and keep Nepping! See you later!


	5. Missing in Action & A Preemptive Strike

RECAP: Last time on the Neptunia Chronicles; Andrew and Neptune spend some time together on what appears to be a day of peace. Neptune makes a suggestion to Andrew that leads to some... *ahem* embarrassing situations. And of course the Purple Duo go out with LAF forces in a patrol and mock dogfight... only to be shot down by Jose and a few ace pilots.

* * *

The Neptunia Chronicles  
Missing in Action/A Preemptive Strike

Andrew was still carrying Neptune across the forest floor, trying to put as much distance between the two of them and Jose's mercenaries as he can. However, he too was running out of energy.

"How far... does this forest go?" Andrew muttered, breathing heavily.

"I don't... know. Can we stop for a bit?" Neptune asked, her eyelids getting heavy. Andrew stops and scans the area. To his right was a cave entrance at a distance of, he guessed, 30 meters or so.

"Well... how about that?" Andrew asked, as if luck was working for him. "I found a cave entrance. Not much further, come on now." Andrew said as he practically dragged Neptune across the ground.

"No more... please no more..." Neptune cried, fighting to stay awake.

"Come on, Neptune. Just a bit more." Andrew said, pepping his CPU wife to stay awake long enough as they entered the cave entrance.

"I can't take no more." Neptune muttered tiredly, not bothering about her grammar at this point. Andrew laid the tired girl on the rock wall of the cave interior, before laying down next to her, sweat dripping from his hair.

"Well... I think I burned a lot of calories after that..." Andrew said, panting heavily. "You did good for a girl with no energy left. Now I guess is a good time to get some rest." Andrew said as he stared outside at the setting sun, before leaving to gather wood. He returned half an hour later with plenty of wood for a fire.

Andrew set up a campfire with the wood from outside and a tinder set that came with his survival kit, and throws a lit match on the wood. "Let there be light." Andrew said jokingly as the fire catches, the cave interior beginning to glow and warm up. Neptune laughed tiredly in response. After that, Andrew huddles up with Neptune and they begin to fall asleep, keeping each other warm against the cold stone.

* * *

Noire, Histoire and Nepgear stared at the screen as it showed live footage from orbit, looking at Andrew's and Neptune's signal. They had found it just an hour earlier, and apparently they had been on the move. The problem wasn't that they were wasting energy, far from it. The problem was the twelve red dots slowly following them. They stopped about twenty minutes ago to camp, but Everyone was still worried.

"They're far from safe, we'd better act fast." Nepgear said.

"Lets hope that those commandos arrive in time." Noire muttered under her breath. Lance and Lucas were among those sent for SAR, and have been prowling the forest like wolves.

* * *

Ludwig Schneider was sitting on a log next to a campfire, talking with his men over a hearty meal of pork and rice. Having been tasked by Jose with the capture of Neptune and Purple Shield, he and a few others in his twelve-man group were on edge.

 _"I guess my team and I are lucky to be the ones going after Neptune and Purple Shield. We've activated the HDD jammer just moments after they touched the ground, so they can't fly out. They may be crafty, but we'll catch them."_ Ludwig thought.

"...and then this bloody hellhound runs up, snarling as if I was a threat to its very existence, before trying to take a bite out of my left arm. I dodged left and, with my trusty AK-77, punched holes into the little bastard's skull faster than it could blink!" a mercenary shouted, telling a story he had about a fight with a hellhound while he was on patrol during the crisis with Arfoire. Others followed with laugher and pats on the man's back.

 _"Cunning little bastard. It's stunts like these that earn my respect."_ Ludwig thought to himself as he laughed alongside his men. For a mercenary commander in Jose's private army, one would think he had the honor of a commander in one of the five nations' military forces, which wasn't exactly untrue, given that he followed his orders to the letter, didn't let bullshit get in his way, and - unlike other mercenary commanders in Jose's forces - actually cared about the soldiers under his command as if they were his own children. It was why, despite being contracted to Heaven's Bane, he was respected among Allied Forces personnel.

"Achoo!" a mercenary sneezed.

"Nathans, can you check up on Juarez, he's sneezing again." Ludwig asked to a mercenary wearing a Red Cross on his left shoulder, showing him to be a medic. Ever since they lost Azure Heart to a covert ops strike on his own property while he was gone yesterday, he had to get an actual medic that was willing to fight for Jose without question.

"I can't wait to capture the goddess and Purple Shield and get out of the damned forest. I might as well go looking for them myself, since I have a lock on their emergency beacon!" another mercenary joked. Other mercenaries joined in the laughter.

 _"He's definitely full of fiery passion, that's for sure."_ Ludwig thought as he took a bite out of his meal. _"I wonder when we capture those two and return home myself. I'm eager to return to my wife."_

"Sir, he's sick. I don't think it is wise to keep him here, he'll die under these conditions." Nathans, the medic, reported. Ludwig simply put his hand over his face.

"Very well, send him to the exfil, we'll continue this without him." Ludwig responded, before the sick man was carted off by the medic. _"That was the second time I had to exfil one of my men today. Vicky had a broken ankle after a branch fell on top of him ten minutes after infil, now somebody is sick."_ Ludwig thought with a sigh.

* * *

"Section, you still have eyes on them?" Lance asked.

"Yea. They appear to be in a cave several hundred klicks away. At this rate they'll be captured before the end of the week. We'll be approaching them within a month." Section said as he stared at the tracker on his TacPad.

"Then we'd better hope they have the strength to keep moving." Sev said as he scanned the area from the scope of his sniper rifle.

"Chief went ahead to meet up with them, following the tracker's signals." a man in yellow Katarn armor said as he checked his DC-17.

"Let's get moving. The sooner we get to them, the better." Lucas suggested.

* * *

Andrew and Neptune were still asleep as the first rays of sunlight struck their faces. It was enough for them to wake up. Turning to the smoldering remains of last night's fire, Andrew - after adding fresh wood to the hot remains, which went alight instantly - heated up an instant meal for the both of them.

"Feeling any better, Neptune?" Andrew asked.

"Yea. I have had enough sleep, so I shouldn't be a burden." Neptune replied as she wiped the sleepiness from her eyes. Andrew laughed as he gave a portion of the instant meal to her. It took ten minutes for them to finish, and Andrew stood up afterwards, tossing the refuse in the fire.

"We've gotta get going. Our rescue team may be coming for us, but so are Jose's mercs." Andrew said as he took Neptune's hand and helped her up. The two of them walked out of the cave and headed due southwest towards Lastation, as Andrew checked the DC-15 Blaster Pistol he was given weeks earlier, just prior to his assault on the slave market.

"Wait, why are we walking? We can just transform and fly back." Neptune suggested.

"Oh, yea." Andrew replied. They both began to transform and... nothing.

"Huh! I can't seem to transform." Andrew said.

"Yea... neither can I." Neptune replied. Andrew just gave up with a sigh.

"They must have some sort of HDD jammer around, like what Arfoire had. This one however seems to have a range that spans the entire forest." Andrew hypothesized.

"Now that's just godmodding!" Neptune replied angrily.

"I guess we're walking, then." Andrew said.

The blackish blue and orange of early dawn soon got replaced by bright, lush greens and blues of mid-morning. Andrew scanned the ground for enemy activity, staying ready for anything. It was then that he heard rustling in the bushes.

"Who's there!" Andrew shouted, his DC-15 raised at the disturbance. There was a voice on the other end that sounded suspiciously like...

"Thunder!" Andrew shouted, using the famous code used by paratroopers in WWII.

"Flash!" the voice replied. Andrew lowered his gun and a green, gold-faced giant walked out of the bushes, MA5C assault rifle in hand.

"Good to see you, Chief." Andrew said with a sigh of relief.

"You too." The Chief replied with a nod. Neptune smiled knowing now that the SPARTAN joined them.

"Haven't you guys tried flying back?" Cortana asked, her feminine figure appearing in open space with a confused look.

"We can't even transform. I assume the mercs trailing us have some sort of HDD jammer." Andrew replied. There was a moment of silence.

"The rest of the rescue team is this way. Follow us." Cortana said. Andrew nodded as he followed the chief, DC-15 clutched tightly in his hands. They ran through the forest, keeping an eye out for enemy activity.

* * *

"Damn!" A mercenary shouted. Ludwig looked over at the source of the curse.

"What's wrong?" Ludwig asked.

"The blasted Allied Forces got to the prize first!" the mercenary replied.

"We'll go after them. Just hold your horses." Ludwig replied as they hustled across the forest floor after Neptune and Purple Shield.

"Alright." the mercenary replied. Behind them, the rev of an engine could be heard, and an All-Terrain transport pulled up to the mercs.

"Need a lift?" the driver asked.

"Where did this vehicle come from?" Ludwig asked in utter shock.

"I got it from command. It had been air dropped an hour ago." the driver replied. Ludwig chuckled as he and his mercenaries climbed in the back.

"You've got Neptune's and Purple Shield's signal, right?" Ludwig asked.

"Indeed." the driver replied as the vehicle lurched forward. This would, luckily, save on energy as they drove across the forest floor.

* * *

"What I want to know, is WHY a CPU and her Paladin-Knight would be authorized to fly a fighter in a combat zone!" a man yelled. They were in the command center of Osiris Air Base with Noire, Uni, Nepgear and Histoire, speaking with General of the Air Force Victor Anderson and Infinity 1.

"It was by my request, sir. Lady Black Heart herself greenlit the request." Reaper replied.

"Is this true?" Victor asked, facing Noire.

"It is." Noire confirmed. Victor only put his hand on his face, unable to believe the words he was hearing.

"Sir, If I may-" the base commander began to say, before he was cut off.

"No, you may NOT!" Victor snapped. Histoire, Uni and Nepgear looked on, shocked.

"Wait a sec... Purple Heart is a CPU and Purple Shield is a Paladin-Knight. Can't they just fly back?" the commander asked.

"They could, but I'm getting energy readings across a majority of the forest. They seem to have some sort of HDD jamming field in place." Noire replied as she looked behind her.

"Meaning... they can't even transform." the commander assumed.

"That's correct." Histoire replied. Victor looked mildly angry.

"That would mean they're little more than free-roaming prisoners. Paperweights just waiting to be picked up. Is there any way we can target the jammer directly?" Victor asked.

"I'm afraid not. it isn't showing up on satellite, and I doubt it'd show up on radar either, so in all likelihood they have it hidden by some sort of cloaking device." Nepgear replied. Victor looked exasperated by this point, trying to think of a solution to this.

"I thought only the Aurelians had access to cloaking technology." Reaper complained. There was little more than silence.

"Well, there's good news, and more bad news. Which first?" Noire asked. There was only silence.

"Good news is, one of the search party members caught up with Andrew and Neptune, and is leading them to the extraction point. Worse news... the mercenaries trailing them have acquired some sort of all terrain transport vehicle, and are catching up to them." Noire explained.

"Any chance we can take the heat off of them somehow?" the commander asked.

"That's a no. Any attempt to assist from the air would only make them accelerate their efforts. Besides, we've got all our planes on standby for air defense as it is, plus there are those awaiting the preemptive strike we have planned." Noire explained.

"That's pointless. We've got all this air to ground ordinance and no way to provide air support." Reaper said irritably.

"Well, there is nothing we can do about it, really." Noire replied with a sigh.

"Why did you have to drop this plot convenience on us now, of all times, sis?" Uni asked as she facepalmed.

* * *

"LZ secure." the commando in the yellow Katarn armor announced as he and Section looked around the clearing.

"Copy that, Boss." Fixer replied.

"Cortana to Osiris, we have met up with Neptune and Andrew. We're moving to the extraction point now." Cortana announced.

"Copy, Cortana. Be advised you have mercenaries trailing you on an all terrain transport vehicle. They are catching up as we speak. Hustle back as quick as you can." Nepgear replied.

"Affirmative, Nepgear. Cortana, out." Cortana replied back.

* * *

"Some driver you are..." a mercenary complained as he rubbed his back. Behind him, the all terrain transport vehicle lie on its side in a trench, being left abandoned, simply because the driver hit what seemed to be a parachute and lost control.

"Have you been drinking whiskey before you procured this vehicle?" another mercenary asked.

"No! I swear I have not!" the driver complained as he rubbed a bruise, not paying much attention to the anger coming from his battered colleague.

"If that's the case, you're the worst driver we could possibly hope for, and you didn't even have to TRY to suck! Because of this mishap, we're in danger of losing our target!" the mercenary snapped. At this point, he and the driver have the attention of everyone around them.

"I'M SORRY!" the driver wailed.

"You'd better be. If we fail this mission, I'm going to pummel you so hard that-" the mercenary swore, before being cut off.

"Enough. This is my responsibility." Ludwig said, ending the conversation. There was a momentary silence as the mercenary and driver regained their composure.

"Sorry, sir." the mercenary replied.

"We can still make up for lost time. If we hurry, we can catch them just before they make their escape." A mercenary said, trying to change the subject.

"Agreed. Let's get going." Ludwig replied, before they formed up and ran after Neptune and Purple Shield.

* * *

it had been almost an hour, but Andrew, Neptune, and the Chief made it to the LZ, and everyone regrouped.

"This is Section, Purple Heart and Purple Shield are with us, requesting exfil!" Mason ordered.

"Copy, Section. Crow Six Two is on its way." Uni replied on the other end. Andrew and Neptune were panting and sweating heavily, but were glad that they were basically on the final stretch to get home.

"Hold up! We've got movement! Enemy forces have approached the LZ! I count thirteen tangos! Get ready for an intense fight!" Cortana announced. Andrew groaned in irritation.

"Stupid mercs! When will they learn to leave us alone?!" Andrew replied as he readied his DC-15 Blaster.

"Neptune, you any good with a gun?" the Chief asked, holding a spare rifle, what looked like an Erza-4 automatic rifle from Lowee, out for her.

"What? Are you serious? I have to use a gun?" Neptune asked, a look of shock plastered across her face.

"If you go in with a blade, they'll dogpile you and snatch you away for sure. If that happens, this whole rescue op would be for nothing." Lucas replied as he readied his pulse laser rifle.

"Are you any good with a gun or not?" The Chief asked again.

"I... I..." Neptune replied, unsure of what to say.

"They're getting close!" Cortana said.

"Oh, alright." Neptune finally said as she took the rifle and crouched to steady her aim. Immediately afterwards, a loud, thunderous clap could be heard. Andrew turned his head and saw Sev with what looked like a Barrett .50 cal sniper rifle. With a click, the commando ejected the spent casing and loaded a new round from the magazine with the bolt.

"Gotta love bolt-action rifles..." Andrew muttered with a sigh. What they heard and saw next would scare the living daylights out of an unprepared soul.

"UURRRAAAAAAAA!" The mercenaries screamed, rushing out of the forest in a banzai charge, screaming the Soviet war cry as they entered the meat grinder.

"Fire!" Andrew ordered as he pulled the trigger. For the first time, he felt the electronic jolt of a blaster as he opened up on the mercenaries as they ran into the open like a band of Japanese soldiers. Neptune and the rescue team followed suit, creating a death wall that the mercenaries couldn't pass. The mercenaries then made a sudden change in direction and fired a few shots, before running back into the forest where they came from.

"What was that?!" Neptune wailed, her body clearly shaking.

"Banzai charge, mixed with hit and run tactics. They're using guerrilla warfare against us. Tricky bastards!" Andrew said as he wiped sweat off his forehead. "Check your ammo and get ready, you can bet that they're going to make another charge." Andrew ordered. Everyone took a look at their clips, and changed magazines when they had to. They took out a good chunk of the enemy when the mercs made their first charge, but there were still at least six mercenaries out there.

"Heads up, more tangos coming up on our twelve, at least twenty of them. It looks like they've been reinforced." Cortana announced.

"Damn it! How'd they do that?!" Scorch shouted.

"They must have come in on a chopper equipped with a cloaking generator from Aurelius." Lucas hypothesized.

"UURRRAAAAAAAA!" the mercenaries screamed again.

"Here they come again! Open fire!" Andrew ordered. In a loud symphony of gun and blaster fire, they tore through more of the enemy ranks, but the mercenaries charged ahead, undeterred. Once again, the enemy fired a few shots before dashing back into the forest, splitting up this time. One of the mercenaries got lucky and hit Andrew in his left shoulder.

"Agh!" Andrew groaned.

"Andrew! No!" Neptune cried.

"It's nothing I can't handle. I've had worse scrapes than this. I'll be fine." Andrew explained, a pained smile on his face.

"UURRRAAAAAAAA!" the mercenaries screamed once more, the cry echoing across the forest eerily.

"They're coming again! From all sides!" Boss shouted, raising his DC-17 blaster at ready position.

"Surround Purple Shield! Hurry!" Lance ordered.

"This is bad, three eight!" Fixer said as he opened fire on the mercenaries.

"I know! If they get reinforced again I doubt we will survive this encounter!" Boss replied. Against all possible odds, Andrew stood up and, holding his DC-15 blaster in his left hand and holding closed his wound with his right, fired on the enemy despite the pain, his aim true with every shot against the onslaught of mercenaries. As if to mute the sound of gunfire, the loud noise of rotor blades filled the air. Suddenly, a hailstorm of fiery lead rained down on the mercenaries from above.

"Crow Six Two on station, ready for pickup!" the co-pilot announced on the comms, while the gunner continued to mow down the enemy forces. By this time, the mercenaries, the three remaining ones at least, were in open retreat.

"We've routed them! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Andrew shouted at the top of his lungs, his one good arm raised in the air to signal their victorious defense. Neptune dropped her rifle, before running up and hugging Andrew. She almost knocked him over as she hugged him tightly, a beaming smile on her face. It seemed like a full hour before she finally released her grip on him. "Let's go home, love." Andrew said as he holstered the DC-15, before taking Neptune's hand.

"Alright." Neptune replied with a nod as they got on the blackhawk. They held each other close as they left the forest for Osiris Air Base.

* * *

 _"My whole team... defeated. I should have guessed they'd have a way out. They were crafty, and handled the guerrilla tactics like professionals."_ Ludwig muttered, astonished at what he has seen. _"Heh! Maybe there is some truth to that superstition, that thirteen is an unlucky number. I probably should have come in with fourteen soldiers inst-"_ Ludwig continued, before cutting himself off. _"No, that wouldn't have worked either. It was my fault that I underestimated their professionalism... and Purple Shield's skill. This is a man who studied military tactics, after all. And from what I saw, he was a damned good shot despite being used to a sword."_ Ludwig concluded with a sigh. He then turned back and held up his radio.

"Schneider to command, mission has failed. The Allied Forces got the prize, and they decimated my team. Returning to extraction." Ludwig announced on a communicator as he and his torn ground force headed for their extraction point.

"Hmph! I probably should have expected as much. Very well, you are cleared for extraction. We're scuttling the jammer, too." Jose replied on the other end. As if by instinct, the cloaked HDD jammer went up in a pillar of flame.

* * *

It had been only twenty minutes since they left the forest, and the blackhawk lands at Osiris Air Base.

"I need a medic over here, now! Purple Shield's been hit!" Mason shouted as they got out of the helicopter. Luna, Noire, Cosette, and Compa came running out of the base's command center.

"Are you okay?" Cosette asked.

"Yea. Just got a bullet through my left shoulder, but I'm fine." Andrew replied. As they walked inside, Compa cut his left sleeve off and wrapped the wound in a bandage.

"Thank heavens the bullet went through. It didn't damage any nerves or anything, either. You should be okay to fight in a couple weeks." Compa announced.

"A couple weeks? That leaves him unable to protect me!" Neptune whined. Andrew simply sighed in reply.

"I'm not exactly sure what to say about that. I've been stabbed and shot in the same damned arm at least three times now and gotten back on my feet within a matter of hours each time. It's like deja vu." Andrew finally said.

"Well, at least we've got you guys back safely, so we're ready for our preemptive strike against Heaven's Bane forces on Aurelian soil." Noire said, before turning to Lucas and Lance. Titus looked up as he scanned the room.

"We've been greenlit by the exiled Aurelian government for an attack on Breakwater Fortress, a military installation on the coast armed with missile batteries and heavy coastal defense guns. Beyond that is the small town of Vitoze, which has been turned into a mass barracks with the civilian inhabitants still trapped inside. We are going to recapture the fortress and liberate Vitoze." Titus began.

"Problem is, if we take one target, the enemy is going to go on full alert and storm us before we can prepare for the other. To complete this operation without the risk of failure, we will have to attack both targets simultaneously. So, Noire and Lance will lead Team A against the fortress, while Team B, led by the Chief, Luna, and Blanc, will liberate the town. Both teams will be assisted by Free Aurelian military ground and air forces. Take note that enemy ground presence will be heavy, so we're going in by air. You'd best bring your own air forces in for initial softening, as there won't be any naval bombardment in this operation." Titus continued. "Any thoughts or additions?" Titus concluded.

"How do you suppose we use Lastation's new B-16 Deltafortress strategic bombers for that purpose?" Uni asked.

"Great idea, Uni!" Noire replied, her smile seemingly lighting the room around them.

"Any other suggestions?" Titus asked.

"We could support the bombers tactically. Send in the Infinity Squadron of Task Force 118 for air to air defense. Planeptune could send in some XF-190 Dora stealth fighters for SEAD duties." Nepgear suggested.

"Fantastic!" Noire beamed.

"Okay..." Titus thought out loud.

"The commandos could create a distraction during this operation. A separate strike on a lesser military installation nearby would get the enemy's attention and lessen their presence on either of the two objectives." David suggested.

"Hmm..." Titus hummed, deep in thought, for a second. After a couple seconds of silence, he spoke up.

"It's a bit of a gamble, but it could work. Alright, Section. You will lead Team C against this mercenary outpost here." Titus said as he pointed to a dot on the map. "It's an arms dump two miles from both primary objectives. If you create enough chaos, you'll put a strain on the enemy's defense by splitting their focus on three locations." Titus concluded. There was then silence.

"If there aren't any more questions or suggestions, report outside and get ready for the assault. Dismissed." Titus said, before everyone left... everyone except Neptune, Andrew, and a few PSF elite guard to protect them. Andrew looked over at Neptune, who wore a look of worry and sadness as she twiddled her thumbs.

"Is something wrong?" Andrew asked. All Neptune could do is nod.

"You're worried, aren't you?" Andrew asked.

"Yea." Neptune finally replied. "Our friends are going off into battle and we're stuck here because of your injuries. It just isn't fair." Neptune explained.

"Oh... I wish something could be done as well, but let's not forget that we're like purple thumbs against a white backdrop. If any of Jose's mercenaries see us, they won't hesitate to use stun maces on us and drag us out with them. And you know Jose will use me as insurance to keep you as a slave." Andrew replied.

"Yea..." Neptune replied. Andrew simply sighed as she retained her gloomy state.

"Remember what I said to Arfoire before we fought Momus that second time in Planeptune's city square?" Andrew asked.

"Yeah. Fear is a powerful weapon, but one that is easily dwarfed by faith." Neptune said, reciting Andrew's philosophical words. Andrew smiled lightly, and nodded.

"Yes. Cheer up okay? Have faith that our friends will return safely." Andrew said. His words made Neptune feel quite a bit better.

"Since we seem to have the place to ourselves for a while, why don't we do something?" Neptune asked.

"Hmm? Like what, Neptue?" Andrew asked, a smile of curiosity on his face.

"Well... you knoooow." Neptune said teasingly, which made Andrew blush hard.

"Of course, you were going to suggest the whole dress thing." Andrew said, blushing furiously. Neptune looked back with fake displeasure, a tiny smirk hidden on the side of her lip. "Well... I guess it's something. And of course something beats the hell out of doing nothing." Andrew admitted with a smile.

 _"Bingo!"_ Neptune thought.

* * *

In the sky, a large flight of B-16 Deltafortress and B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers were flying towards their target, Breakwater Fortress, which sat along Aurelius's shoreline. Following these bombers were the F-22 and F/A-38s of Infinity Squadron, followed by XF-190 Doras of the PSF Air Force's Amethyst Squadron. This formation left Latation an hour ago at the end of all the planning.

The B-16 - an ultra-heavy strategic bomber only recently fielded and designed to slowly phase out Lastation's venerable fleet of B-52s - looked like an oversized B-2 Spirit, coupled with a similarly sized XB-10, which the B-16 was based on. Powered by six nuclear turbofan engines and capable of cruising at mach .97, the Deltafortress was the pinnacle of a joint effort between Lastation and Planeptune, the same one that developed the Valkur advanced tactical fighter.

In front, sandwiched by two B-52s and 2 F/A-38s, was the B-16 _Lady Grace_ , which was named affectionately for the pilot's sweetheart, the name printed in pink italic letters, a pinup girl in a fancy dress painted above surrounded by Sakura blossoms. They were about ten minutes away from the target when Free Aurelian fighters showed up.

"Allied Forces bomber squadron, you've entered Aurelian airspace. Please state your intentions." the lead Aurelian pilot called out.

"We've got cargo to deliver, urgent business. The medicine Lady Black Heart prescribed for the private army!" the pilot of the _Lady Grace_ , Patrick James Hamilton replied with a smirk.

"And... what would that be?" the Aurelian pilot asked.

"A _lethal_ dose of bombs, sir!" Patrick replied, almost laughing.

"Come on, let the boys through! We've got ground units coming in close behind them to recapture Breakwater Fortress and liberate Vitoze!" Reaper interjected.

"Carry on, bomber squadron. We'll help keep the window open." the Aurelian pilot replied. With the large formation of bombers and fighters, it seemed like a classic scene from the war over Europe during the 1940s. After two minutes, a formation of enemy planes showed up.

"This is AWACS Juggernaut, enemy planes have been confirmed on radar. IFF transponders identify them as part of Jose's private military." the AWACS announced.

"All planes, split up and engage the enemy. Don't stray too far from the bombers, you hear me?" Reaper ordered.

"Copy, Reaper! Alright, Amethyst Squadron, let's go hunting!" Amethyst 1 called out.

"Roger, lead. Laser charged and ready." Amethyst 2 replied, a distinctly feminine voice confirming the pilot as a woman. As the planes split up and engaged, they locked on their targets and fired long range missiles. A few of these missiles struck their targets, but the rest of the enemy planes split off and defeated their missiles with flares.

"AWACS Juggernaut to all planes, enemy aircraft confirmed to be Sukhoi Su 35S Super Flankers." the AWACS announced.

"Flankers again?! REALLY?!" one of the pilots whined irritably.

"The Flanker must be the primary fighter aircraft of Jose's private military..." Reaper said with a sigh as he performed a Split S to reengage his target.

"One wouldn't doubt it, considering the number of times we've gone toe to toe with the damn planes." Amethyst 2 replied, before firing her laser at an enemy plane. The hot stream of electrons burns through the Flanker's skin, detonating the volatile fuel. "Enemy plane is going down!" Amethyst 2 shouted.

Amethyst 1 followed his target closely, trying to get a good angle.

"AWACS Juggernaut, more enemy contacts! Confirmed PAK-FA stealth fighters - twelve of them - closing in on the bomber force from behind!" the AWACS announced.

"Where are the CPU's when you need them?! We're getting swarmed!" Amethyst 1 shouted angrily. As if to jinx him, a brightly glowing arrow pierced the sky and dstroyed the target in front of him, Luna following close behind.

"Lady Azure Heart is with us!" an Aurelian pilot shouted, and cheering can be heard among the Aurelian pilots in the area. Following close behind Luna was Noire and Lance...

"Wait... Black Shield?" Reaper asked.

"Indeed. My powers came quicker than I would have expected." Lance replied. He was wearing a black suit of armor, with his face covered by a full helmet. Behind him were wings similar to Noire's.

"There's no way we'll fail this! Come on, pilots, rally!" Patrick shouted. Lance summoned what looked like an energy sword, before charging after a PAK-FA that was too close for comfort. With a swing, the blade bisected the stealth fighter, and an explosion followed close afterwards. With a bright flash, Amethyst 2 brought down another enemy plane.

"Time to target, two minutes." the co-pilot on the _Lady Grace_ said as he scanned the area.

"Amethyst 1 to Amethyst 3 through 5, commence operation. Begin suppression of enemy air defense! 2 and 6, stay and help protect the bombers with laser fire!" Amethyst 1 ordered. Three XF-190 Dora fighters peeled away from the formation as they activate their radar jammer pods. Amethyst 1, 2 and 6 activated their jammer pods as well to give the allied pilots present in the dogfight a tactical advantage.

* * *

"Large jamming field detected! They've got Doras!" a mercenary pilot shouted. He looked around... and saw a Paladin-Knight in black take out one of his buddies. "Another Paladin-Knight?!" the mercenary shouted.

"That must be Black Shield! His armor is completely black! OH CRA-" another mercenary pilot shouted, before being sliced in half by Black Heart.

"I can't get a lock! The radar jamming is too thick! AHHHHHHH!" Yet another mercenary pilot yelled, before being vaporized by a Dora's laser.

"Blasted Allied Forces!" the first pilot shouted irritably as his fellow mercenary pilots died around him. His luck ran out when a flaming arrow from Azure Heart's bow ripped through his canopy and pierced his skull.

* * *

"Hell yea, I've got a lock on a SAM!" Amethyst 3 shouted. They were already above the fortress engaging any air defense systems they could find. Amethyst 3 hit the button and launched a HARM anti-radiation missile at the enemy SAM site. The missile followed the SAM site's radar beam like a hawk diving in for it's meal. In a split second, the SAM launcher is wasted, nothing but smoldering wreckage.

"Hahaha! Good kill, 3!" Amethyst 1 said over the comms when the Tac Links registered the hit.

"These Doras are really good planes! Bleed! Bleed, you mercenary scum! Let blood and justice rain from the sky and paint my canopy red!" Amethyst 6 shouted.

"Hey pilot! You sound like a fucking madman!" Blanc shouted through the comms irritably. It was at that point that Amethyst 6 flustered, not noticing the other three Doras taking out three SAM sites each.

"Sorry, Ma'am. I guess I'm having too much fun over here." Amethyst 6 replied apologetically as he locked onto another Su-35S Flanker. Again he pushed the button, and the laser lanced towards the target. Another explosion, and the plane was destroyed. He didn't bother to notice Amethyst 4 take out the last SAM site in the distance.-

"All SAM sites confirmed destroyed. About sixty percent of the enemy air forces have been destroyed as well." the AWACS announced.

"That's what I like to see! The mission is going well!" Noire said happily.

* * *

"Bomber force on target in 40 seconds." a bomber pilot announced.

"You heard the co-pilot. Open bomb bay doors!" Patrick ordered. With a low groan, the hydraulic motors of the bay doors opened wide, showing the several thousand pounds of bombs to be dropped on the enemy encampment at Breakwater Fortress.

"Breakwater Fortress in sight! Time to target, 15 seconds." the co-pilot announced. The seconds ticked by in what seemed like hours.

"5 seconds!" the co-pilot shouted. 4... 3... 2...

"Let's make our own mark on history!" Patrick yelled, giving the signal.

"Bombs away! Bombs away!" the bombardier yelled. With a hummed whistle, the high explosive bombs left the bay, before impacting the ground minutes later. A series of low, murmured thunder claps occurred as the bombs detonated below, killing off enemy personnel inside the fortress and decimating columns of T-90 MBTs. What seemed like two days worth of bombing ended in one hour, after which nothing was left of the fortress.

"We completely leveled the fortress..." Luna muttered aloud.

"Seems bringing a flight of strategic bombers was beyond overkill." Reaper interjected.

"Noire to Titus. There's nothing left of Objective A. We've completely decimated the fortress. We could send Team A in anyway for a clean sweep, but I doubt much could be gained." Noire said on the comms.

"An unintended result... I guess it's better than nothing. Objective A is out of action. All ground forces, proceed to Objective B. Bomber force, you're cleared to return to base." Titus replied.

"Copy, Titus. Bomber force is Oscar Mike at this time." Patrick said as he turned the B-16 around. Seconds later, three black Pelican dropships screamed in, two of them landing just outside of Vitoze.

* * *

"Go! Go! Go! We are liberating Vitoze today!" Zeri yelled as he led the PSF and Lastation Military forces into the frey. Close behind them, the CPUs landed, before running off to assist the ground force. To their right, a small number of Aurelian Freedom Fighters, supported by heavy assault tanks and other ground vehicles, advanced with their Lastation and Planeptunian allies.

"This sure is quite the battle! I'm ready for anything!" Tsukasa shouted as she unsheathed the twin sabres from her back.

"It's your first battle, Tsukasa. Aren't you at least a LITTLE nervous?" Kagami asked.

"Nope! Not even an inch of nervousness, sis!" Tsukasa replied. Suddenly, two mercenaries came running out of a makeshift guard post, and fired on them. As if Tsukasa had a natural instinct, she sliced the bullets in midair as she ran to the enemy troops, before killing them. Tsukasa simply giggled with a smile as she pulled the sabres out of the bodies.

""Seems that training has payed off. I don't have to worry about you dying on me." Kagami said, her impression showing on her face." Konata said jokingly.

"Hey, stop narrating!" Kagami snapped.

"Oh please! You're trying too hard." Haruhi said, looking at Konata.

"Way to be such killjoys." Konata said, her face showing displeasure.

"Konata, come on! We've got a job to do, so quit slacking off!" Kagami shouted.

* * *

"Hostile contact! Twelve meters, I count six tangos." Mason said quietly as they sneaked into the arms dump.

"That's a lot of ammunition. Plenty of black powder stores for artillery, too." Scorch mused happily.

"You seem to be enjoying this." Fixer muttered.

"I've got eyes on at least six Howitzers, they look like they'll be ready to shell the town at any minute. How many explosive charges do we have?" Mason asked.

"18 charges. Enough to level a whole building." Scorch replied bluntly.

"Why on earth did you pack so much?" Boss asked, the look of confusion hidden behind his helmet.

"It pays to come prepared." Scorch replied.

"Alright, I guess it works in our favor. Let's set the charges. We put three charges in the middle of the arms dump, two on each of the howitzers, and three on the walls of that command center they built up." Mason suggested.

"After that, we cause a ruckus, get the enemy's attention, then get out of dodge as we blow the charges, right?" Scorch asked.

"That's correct." Mason replied.

"Let's get busy." Fixer said.

* * *

"Fire! Fire! Over by the stairs!" Lucas shouted as he and the group of soldiers he was leading fought their way through an apartment complex that was teeming with mercenary forces.

"Die you SOBs!" a Planeptunian soldier shouted as he fired his Mk 24 LMG at the enemy ahead of him. Each round hit mercenaries in various places. Nobody stopped to make a comment, and proceeded to take the rest of the building. Within an hour, the large number of enemy mercenaries was either killed or taken prisoner.

* * *

Nepgear, Uni, and a team of specialists had been fighting through a house that had been transformed into what looked to be a bar for the mercenaries. None of them were prepared, however, for what they saw in a bedroom: a little girl at the age of seven by the looks of it, lying on the floor with her hands tied behind her back, looking pretty bruised.

"What happened?" Uni asked. The little girl went on to explain what happened, crying as she did.

"What the goodness..." Nepgear muttered loudly.

"The sick bastards!" one of the Planeptunian soldiers swore.

"This kind of torture on a child breaks every ethical rule out there. Who knew mercenaries would be so cruel to civies..." another soldier, one from Leanbox, interjected.

"Let's get those bonds off of you." Uni said as she undid the rope that kept the girl tied down.

"Where are your parents?" Nepgear asked. The little girl looked away sadly, and Nepgear - with a pang of sadness - knew what happened. "I'm so sorry." Nepgear said.

"Does she have a name?" Uni asked. There was a little moment of silence.

"Anri. My name's Anri." the girl finally said. It was then that one of the soldiers put his rifle down and kneeled to speak to the girl at eye level.

"We'll find you a home, Anri, don't worry. You're safe with us." the soldier said. Anri smiled at his gesture, before running up to hug him.

* * *

Andrew was sitting in his and Neptune's room in the barracks, wearing the same dress he wore yesterday. How Neptune could coerce him into wearing the damned thing twice confused him, but he didn't mind this time since it was just the two of them. They were watching something on the TV, enjoying a pudding cup. Andrew was surprised when Neptune suddenly coddled him, but Andrew smiled anyway despite the fact he was flustering. Andrew yawned and looked at the clock.

"Shouldn't we be getting to bed? It's almost midnight and I'm getting sleepy." Andrew muttered as he yawned a second time. Neptune looked up at the clock and saw what he meant. She simply turned the TV off and they both climbed in bed, holding each other close as they dozed off into a deep sleep.

* * *

Scorch and Sev had been creating a ruckus, having already set the explosive charges 15 minutes earlier. They got what they wanted, and the klaxons started blaring, getting the attention of the enemy encamped at Vitoze. Scorch and Sev, not wanting the fun to end, were already sniping and tossing grenades at the enemy, trying to piss them off as much as they can while they waited for their ride to Vitoze.

"This is way too much fun!" Scorch shouted as he tossed yet another frag grenade at the enemy. With an explosion - an abnormally large one - a couple mercenaries were reduced to flying limbs and burnt flesh. The grenade must have set off a bag of black powder set aside for a possible shelling of an area. Whatever it was, it worked to their advantage.

"Scorch, Sev. Our ride is here. Let's get going." Section said as he boarded the Pelican. Scorch and Sev ran for the Pelican and boarded as well. As they flew off, Scorch hit the remote detonator, and everything went up in smoke.

"BOOOOOOM! That's what I'm talking about!" Scorch shouted as he saw the smoke and flames rise up from the base, lighting the area around them.

"Mason to Osiris, Objective C has been taken out." Mason reported over the comms.

"Good work, Mason. Head over to Vitoze and help our forces with its liberation." Titus responded.

"Understood. Mason out." Mason replied, before closing the comm channel.

* * *

Dawn was quickly approaching, and a large majority of the town had been liberated. All that's left was one final push on the square, where the town hall had been turned into a prison and defensive position.

"We've got snipers in the windows." Avan said as the two Planeptunian snipers peered through their scopes at the enemy.

"Our forces will begin the final assault as soon as the sinpers are dealt with." Zeri said on the radio.

"Roger that, We'll begin clearing them out." Avan responded.

With a loud clap, the Planeptunians open fire on the enemy snipers and took them out. The enemy had no idea what hit them before it was too late. Within a minute, the allied advance pours into the town hall courtyard. It seemed like things were going well until a T-90 main battle tank drove out of a shed and started firing on the allied forces.

"CRAP! TANK!" Zeri shouted. Noire and Blanc were about to run out and do their thing when their HDD dropped out on them.

"What the! Do they have an HDD Jammer on that thing?!" Lance asked as he too dropped out of HDD. It was then that Noire picked up a radio from one of the Planeptunian soldiers.

"This is Noire, the enemy has us pinned down in the courtyard, and they have an HDD jammer! Requesting air support. Authorization Override: Alpha Whiskey Zero Niner Xray!" Noire ordered.

"Copy that, Noire. Naval Squadron 108 is en route for bomb drop. Stand by." a man called out on the radio. It had been several minutes before a black F-14D Super Tomcat, followed by three black F/A-38s, screamed down, launching Maverick air-to-ground missiles at the enemy tank. The missiles hit home, and the T-90 exploded.

"Good shot!" Noire shouted into the radio, before transforming back to her CPU form. Luna, Vert and Blanc followed close afterwards. Lance transformed as well, and they all stormed the building.

"Targets in sight! Don't let them escape or they'll call for backup." Lucas shouted. The assault force split up as they took the building room by room. Luna shot a fire arrow at a mercenary as he was setting up a machine gun in the hallway. The mercenary went up in flames as the magic arrow dispersed over his body, and he screamed as he jumped out the window.

"Chief. We've got movement in the main office." Cortana announced. Noire nodded and the SPARTAN crashed through the door. Inside was the mercenary officer, who had a .357 Magnum pointed at the door. The Chief promptly dashed and knocked the gun out of the officer's hand, before aiming his MA5C at the man.

"Alright, merc. Surrender." Lucas ordered as he walked in, pulse laser rifle aimed at the officer who was oddly grinning. Nobody noticed the mercenary in the shadows, who walked up and shot Lucas in the shoulder. The mercenary who seemingly came out of nowhere was then sliced in half by Noire, who winked at Lucas and the Chief.

"You're coming with us. Azure Heart is going to give you quite the pep talk about controlling her own nation like this." Lucas said as he handcuffed the officer with his good arm, dropping his pulse laser rifle as he did so.

"Will you be okay?" Noire asked.

"Doubt it. This is definitely going to put me off the field for a month or so." Lucas replied, chuckling as he winced with the pain.

"Can you move your arm?" Noire asked. Lucas promptly tried moving his arm, but couldn't.

"No. I think the bullet is still in there. My arm is stiff as hell and I have no exit wound, either." Lucas replied with a sigh.

"You've done well enough, Lucas. Go ahead and get some rest." Luna said as she too walked into the main office. Her words made Lucas smile, before walking out of the office.

"By your word, milady." Lucas said as he walked through the doorway, smiling at Luna along the way.

* * *

"The enemy is taking heavy losses!" Zeri said as he and a group of soldiers were fighting across the final couple floors. "Just three more floors and we're done. Let's get going and-" Zeri continued as they climbed the stairs to the next floor, only to be cut off when a Planeptunian soldier was minced by a machine gun emplacement in the hallway.

"GET DOWN! DOWN I SAY!" a rather irritated Konata ordered as the machine gun spat bullets at them.

"Who the hell is controlling that machine gun?!" a Loweean soldier shouted as she checked on the fallen Planeptunian.

"Nobody. It's an automated Sentry turret. That laser is actually a wide-angle infrared camera with a linked XIFF reader." Johnson replied.

"So, since we don't register in its XIFF database, it perceives us as the threat?" the Loweean asked in reply.

"Precisely. It's a flawless system. How these guys got a hold of the system specs is beyond me." Johnson said, before looking in the direction of a Planeptunian, who was setting up some sort of equipment.

"What are you doing, soldier?! This is no time for games!" Kagami shouted.

"Relax. I'm a hacker by trade, worked for the Guild before this all started." the Planeptunian replied as he connected his laptop and booted the system up.

"What are you going to do, make it spit water?" Johnson asked, noting the automated sentry's firewall.

"Heh! I've hacked at least six of these during intelligence ops a couple weeks ago, no problem. In about ten minutes, that gun is going to be mine. After which, we'll be seeing the thing spitting bullets at the enemy before I shut it down." the Planeptunian laughed.

"Well, hurry it up, we've got more tangos inbound." the Loweean said as she readied her Erza-4 automatic rifle.

"Already on it, it will just take te-" the Planeptunian said, before being cut off.

"What is it?" Konata asked.

"I'm in. This must be a Generation .5 automated sentry, meaning they disabled the firewall due to firmware issues that weren't corrected until the production model." the Planeptunian mouthed as he took control of the sentry.

"You mean to say that... they took the technical specs from the prototype? How stupid can they be?" Johnson asked, almost laughing.

"You mean "How _smart_ can they be." I've done research with IF on Heaven's Bane a couple weeks ago after we rescued Neptune, and it turns out that they sometimes opt for lowest-bidder items and spruce them up to the point where they are just as effective as modern weapons tech. You weren't paying attention, but they definitely increased the rate of fire on that turret." Kagami explained.

"Makes sense." was all Johnson could say in reply. The loud roar of the turret continued as it tore mercenaries to bits, until all it made was an annoying rapid clicking sound.

"What is that noise?" Konata yelled as she covered her ears. The noise finally stopped as the Planeptunian soldier deactivated the turret.

"It ran out of ammunition." was all the Planeptunian said as he packed up his equipment. Johnson sighed.

"Alright. Haruhi, protect the Planeptunian as he packs up his stuff. The rest of you, come with me. We're going to clean this place up." Zeri ordered. Haruhi nodded as she stayed behind while the rest of the group continued on.

* * *

The sun was just starting to come up as Andrew woke up. After rubbing his eyes, he got out of bed and changed back into his normal attire. Neptune was already up and about as she checked the room, before turning to Andrew.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." Neptune cooed, yawning lightly.

"Yea, good morning." Andrew replied with a smile.

"What do you say we go get something to eat?" Neptune asked. All Andrew could do was nod tiredly as he took Neptune's hand and followed her out the door. They walked down the hall towards the break room, where breakfast was being served again.

"Good morning, you two. Up pretty early, I see." Histoire said with a smile.

"Yea. We sure are." Neptune replied. Andrew yawned as he wiped more sleepiness from his eyes.

"Your sleeping habits must be messed up after that ordeal in the forest." Compa said as she sipped on some milk.

"Why don't you two get something to eat?" If asked. All Andrew and Neptune could do was nod, a smile beaming from their faces. They both went in and got some food. They seemed to have assorted pastries, along with eggs and bacon. Andrew grabbed a couple cinnamon rolls, along with some eggs and bacon. Neptune simply loaded her plate with various pastries, causing Andrew to chuckle as they walked to the table they were at yesterday. They just ate in silence for ten minutes.

* * *

"The enemy is surrendering! We've won!" an Aurelian soldier shouted as the last of the mercenary forces surrendered. The sun was already brightly above the town, warming the air around them.

"Great work! Let's gather up the prisoners and clean this place up. I'd like a small team to come with me outside, I have a speech to make." Luna replied on the comms.

"Guess that makes me, the Chief, Konata, Kagami, and Avan." Zeri replied, also on the comms. It was a few minutes before everyone left the building and entered the courtyard, where the town populace had gathered. Some looked on with fear at the new arrivals, while others looked with awe and respect for the deed they have done for them. Everything was set straight when Luna walked up.

"People of Aurelius, of the town of Vitoze. You have suffered long enough. For several grueling months, have you endured the merciless occupation of the criminal organization's private army. And for too long... have I been unable to do a thing about it." Luna began. The last words sent a murmur across the crowd.

"However, thanks to the decisions and actions of brave individuals, and the full support of the goddesses of the other four nations, I have been freed from captivity. Now, I stand before you, with a few of the same individuals from the other nations. With the blood of our enemy on our hands, the the tears of lost comrades in our eyes, and faith and determination in our hearts, I hereby tell you, fellow Aurelians, that Vitoze has been liberated!" Luna concluded, followed by cheers. The cheers were surprisingly short, however.

When it seemed things would get awkward, a little girl walked up and joined the crowd, followed by Nepgear, Uni, and the few soldiers they were leading. It was mere seconds before the little girl began singing the lyrics to "A Brand New Day" from Ace Combat 6. The singing from the little girl was loud enough to be heard across the courtyard, to the point that the whole crowd suddenly joined in. Nepgear, Uni, and eventually the whole list of Allied Forces soldiers joined in the singing as well.

"It is amazing, absolutely amazing. This little girl has gotten a whole town and their liberators to sing alongside her. Already spirits are lifting high as the town feels a peace it hadn't felt in months." A reporter said as the event was broadcast live. "With the mercenary oppressors finally out of Vitoze, we can live our lives peacefully, and hopefully cooperate with the outsiders who helped liberate our fair town. This is George, reporting for the Free Aurelius freedom fighters' personal news network." the reporter concluded. After the singing finally stopped and the townsfolk went their separate ways, Nepgear led the little girl up to Luna.

"You must be the little girl that got the whole town singing." Luna said with a cheerful, friendly smile.

"Yea. I'm Anri." the little girl replied.

"Nice to meet you, Anri. I'm your goddess, Azure Heart. But, you can just call me Luna." Luna said, before turning to Uni and Nepgear. "Where are her parents?" Luna asked.

"Dead, I'm afraid." Uni explained with a deep sigh as Anri stuck her tongue out angrily at the mercenary officer who led the occupation of the town, to the approving chuckles of Lastation and Leanbox soldiers.

"Oh... I'm so sorry, Anri." Luna said, sadness almost overtaking her. There was silence for a few minutes. "I could take you in as my daughter. I would love the company, and I would give you the love and care you deserve after all this." Luna finally offered. Her offer made Anri smile, before she an up to Luna and hugged her. The sight made even the Chief smile behind his helmet.

"I guess we should head back to Osiris Air Base. Histoire and Titus will need to debrief us. We can leave a portion of the assault force here to guard the town against counterattacks, too. Goodness knows the Aurelian partisans will need the extra guns." Lucas said as he walked up, bandages wrapped around his wounded shoulder.

"I guess so. Little Anri here has some friends of mine I'd like her to meet, and she could sure use a proper meal." Luna said, making Anri giggle as she was picked up. They went into an awaiting Pelican dropship, with Mason and Delta Squad inside. They sat down, and the Pelican rose up, before leaving Aurelius.

* * *

"Wow. That little girl..." Andrew muttered after seeing what had happened on the TV. Neptune was basically in tears when she saw it.

"So beautiful..." Neptune muttered.

"Hey, Luna and the others should be returning shortly." Histoire said, before looking over at Neptune. "Why is Neptune crying?" Histoire asked.

"We saw something beautiful on the news... a little girl got the whole town of Vitoze, and our own troops, to sing a song of peace." Neptune explained as she wiped tears away from her eyes.

"It was amazing. Even I couldn't hold back my tears." IF said as she wiped the bottom of her eyes with tissue. Histoire could only nod. It was only a half hour before the door opened and everyone else walked inside, including the little girl they saw on the news.

"Hey. You're that little girl we saw on the news. The one that got a whole town singing." Neptune said, kneeling down with a smile on her face. The little girl just smiled and nodded.

"Her name's Anri. She was orphaned, so I adopted her." Luna explained.

"Huh? You could just do that as a goddess?" Andrew asked as he tilted his head.

"I think so. There really wasn't anywhere else for her to turn to, so I just decided to take her. I doubt anyone in Vitoze would be able to give her the proper care after what they've been through anyway." Luna replied. Andrew just shrugged as he listened to her.

"Nice to meet you, Anri. I'm Andrew." Andrew said with a smile as he kneeled down.

"Luna... he's scary... I don't like him." Anri cried. She looked like she was about to cry when Andrew sighed and pulled back to give her some space.

"Poor girl... what did they do to her?" Andrew asked as Anri hid from him.

"Abused by her captors, for a month it seems." Nepgear replied. Andrew sighed and turned around, before returning to his room. As he turned, Anri could see the sadness and sympathy in his eyes, but was still too scared to follow.

"Why did he scare you, hon?" Luna asked, trying to make some connection.

"He looked... too much like those bullies who beat me." Anri replied.

"There, there, Anri. He's not that bad. He's actually quite nice." Neptune said.

"Really?" Anri asked.

"Yea, really. One of the nicest people I know, along with Compa, IF, and my other good friends. A few of those same bullies that hurt you actually kidnapped me. But Andrew... he rescued me." Neptune explained.

"Like... a guardian angel?" Anri asked.

"You could say that." Neptune said with a chuckle. Her words made Anri smile again.

"If that's the case... then I wanna make it up to him. But... I'm not sure how." Anri said.

"You'll warm up to him eventually. It just takes a little time." Histoire said.

"FAIRY!" Anri shouted, before she squeezed Histoire.

"AGHHH! CHILD! STOP! I'M VERY FRAGILE, YOU KNOW!" Histoire shouted in pain, feeling like every bone in her was going to snap under the pressure. Neptune giggled.

"Don't hug her too tight, silly." Neptune said.

"Aw, but she's so cute!" Anri cooed. The words made Neptune laugh.

"P-ko thinks the same thing often. I think you and her would make very good playmates." Neptune said as she slowly calmed down. Anri loosened her grip on Histoire, who was now panting heavily.

"You need to learn not to hug me with all your might. I could have passed out." Histoire said as she slowly regained her breath.

"Aw, I'm sorry, Ms. fairy." Anri said apologetically.

"It's fine. And the name is Histoire, by the way." Histoire replied, accepting her apology.

""Histoire?" That's kind of a hard name to memorize." Anri said, obviously confused.

"That's why Compa and I refer to her as "Histy." It's a cute nickname for her." Neptune explained with a smile. Anri giggled.

"Can you take me to go see Andrew? I feel that with you there, I might be able to say sorry to him." Anri finally asked Neptune, who nodded with a smile.

* * *

Andrew was laying on his bed, reflecting on the events that had recently transpired. The war was going smoothly for the Allied Forces, but he wasn't sure how long that would last. On the other hand, Neptune was a mixed bag of nuts. Not that he didn't mind, he just found it odd that a his wife, a CPU, would get him to wear a- His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in." Andrew said. The door opened and Neptune and Anri walked in.

"Hello, Neptune. Hey, Anri." Andrew said with a kind, loving smile. Anri saw his face, and she ended up smiling as well.

"Anri wanted to apologize for making you feel bad." Neptune said.

"I'm sorry, Andrew." Anri said, keeping her words short.

"Ah, it's okay, Anri. I understand. I'll give you as much time as you need to warm up to me." Andrew said with a smile. "In fact, here." Andrew added as he handed the child a chocolate bar from the cooler. The girl's eyes looked like they would explode, the way they widened.

"Thank you, Andrew. I haven't had a chocolate bar in months!" Anri shouted, jumping for joy before giving him a hug. Andrew could only continue to smile. Anri ran out of the room with such a happy face, it reminded Andrew of Peashy, who in a way was like a daughter to him and Neptune.

"She sure warmed up to you pretty quick." Neptune said with a smile.

"She's got a long ways to go. The kind of torture she apparently went through according to Nepgear, scarred her, and it will continue to scar her for life, so she's bound to have trust issues towards men she doesn't know." Andrew replied, looking a little distant.

"Yea. Cheer up, okay? Everyone is safe." Neptune said as she hugged Andrew from behind, trying to cheer him up. The gesture made Andrew smile again, and he nodded.

* * *

Andrew and Neptune were out on the tarmac, looking at the stars in the night sky. The day had passed by without much worry, as if Celestia were still looking out for them.

"It's hard to understand, but I feel like each star is trying to say something to us." Andrew muttered as they sat there, looking at the sky.

"What do you think they are saying?" Neptune asked.

"Hard to tell, really. It's like dozens of messengers, all calling out to us, with different bits of information from each one. Whatever it is, it is something Luna learned to understand a long time ago." Andrew continued to mutter. It was then that they thought of something.

"You think Arfoire is out there? Doing the duty she was charged with long ago, fighting the very same evil we fight now? To protect each of us?" Andrew asked.

"Yea. Maybe. I haven't given much thought about it since we last saw her just after the crisis when I freed her from the dark power that enslaved her." Neptune replied. The night was fairly dark and, except for the lights, only the nightly patrols were there to protect them. Andrew yawned, before looking at his watch.

"Hmm... 10:00." Andrew muttered.

"Aw, you're tired already?" Neptune asked, obviously sounding somewhat disappointed that their time alone had to end early again.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I guess what happened in the forest, and the lack of sleep from earlier, is making me tired." Andrew replied, with a futile attempt to stifle another yawn. Neptune yawned again in reply.

"Funny. I'm tired, too. I guess we'd better get to bed." Neptune replied. Andrew got up, helped Neptune up, and walked back to the dormitories, hand in hand like always.

END OF EPISODE 5 OF THE NEPTUNIA CHRONICLES

* * *

-AUTHOR'S NOTES-

Some more crossdressing-related lulz in the story. Neptune can be such a troll sometimes.

The quote that Patrick used when asked for his mission is a modified form of a quote used in the Iwo Jima mission of the Allied Campaign in Eidos Entertainment's Battlestations! Pacific video game for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

The mad rant done by Amethyst 6 is in reference to the Area 88 OVA part 3, in which a mercenary pilot with the Asrani government in an F-105 Thunderchief was shooting rebel Asrani Harrier AV-8As.

The X/F-190 Dora stealth fighter, as it's identification and codename suggests, was thought up by me in honor of Focke Wulf's FW-190, the famed Dora, or "Butcher Bird" as she was referred to by Allied pilots above Europe in WWII.

Spoilers here! The way I mentioned Arfoire at the end of this episode hints at the True Ending of Re;Birth 1 in which Neptune saves her, which I made canon in my Re;Birth 1.5 Remix retelling.

That's about it, Stay Cool, and Keep on Nepping! Tootles!


	6. The Defector

Recap: Last time on The Neptunia Chronicles, our Purple Duo was engaged in a race against mercenaries chasing them through the forests in Lastation. Though they successfully made it back, Andrew took a round to his left shoulder, leaving him out of the coming offensive. Later, the rest of the gang attacked and liberated the Aurelian town of Vitoze, which was under the control of Heaven's Bane. Oh, let's not forget that Luna adopted a child.

* * *

The Neptunia Chronicles  
The Defector

Andrew and Neptune woke up the next morning, tired as ever, but ready for anything. They walked down the hallway to the break room and, just like last time, got breakfast. The break room seemed a bit more empty than last time, as most people were still in Aurelius. They ate in quiet, and, when they finished, they got up and went back to their room.

"What a meal." Andrew said with a yawn. Neptune could only nod happily in reply. A little later, Luna walked in.

"Hey, Luna." Neptune said, a pocky stick in her mouth.

"Hey, Neptune. We're all going to Vitoze, as decided by Histy. Let's all pack our bags and get going." Luna said. Her words made Neptune and Andrew look at each other for a moment.

"Well, I can't be caught dead in a dress so close to the front lines. As far as I'm concerned, it stays hidden in the bag." Andrew says sternly.

"Good call. I doubt they would be very happy to see you dressed like that." Luna replied.

"Probably for the best, it seems." Neptune added, a hint of displeasure in her voice.

"Oh cheer up, Neptune. If it matters to you, we can do plenty of it at home when return." Andrew said, flustering.

"Good idea. I have a couple of outfits for you to wear as well." Luna replied, making Andrew grumble in embarrassment. After Luna left, both Andrew and Neptune began packing up their stuff, and they had everything packed and ready to go a minute later.

* * *

Outside on the Tarmac, everyone was waiting. Their ride out was already there, and once again it was a Pelican dropship, fitted for executive transport. Next to it were three F/A 38s that would be escorting the Pelican to Vitoze.

"Is everyone here and ready?" Histoire asked. Everyone replied with a "yes" before they boarded the Pelican. After a short while, they lifted off the ground. Neptune and Andrew laid back as the ride progressed, listening to the hum of the engines and the chatter of the passengers. A while later, they land in Aurelius, and the door opens.

"Ah... It feels so nice to be back in Aurelius again." Luna said with a happy sigh as she breathed in the fresh air.

"You mean longterm, right? Because you were only here two nights ago." Avan asked, obviously confused.

"Yeah, I do mean longterm. I missed my home so much." Luna replied. It was then that Noire and Lance greeted them.

"Hello, you two. Having a good day, so far?" Neptune asked, a bright smile on her face.

"Far from it, but we're managing." Noire replied somewhat irritably.

"Huh? Is there anything wrong?" Cortana asked, concerned for the ground force stationed here.

"Heaven's Bane mercs made a counter attack last night. We drove them back, but sustained some casualties, pretty bad ones, too." Lance reported. Andrew just shook his head. It was all he could do, given what has happened.

"What is the exact casualty report?" Luna asked out of concern.

"Thiry-four dead, and sixty-two wounded, including twelve civilian casualties, all wounded." Lance explained, reading off the list he got from a medic's report.

"That doesn't sound good." Konata muttered unhappily.

"It isn't. This is the first time since our operation in the Western Isles weeks ago that we've suffered a number of casualties that actually made a hinderance to our war effort." Noire concurred, shaking her head.

"You say it like it's a PR thing. I understand why." Kagami said.

"And how? When you go through major battles without many casualties, then suddenly suffer a good number of them in an enemy counter attack, our people begin to suspect complacency. Some may even lose faith in their goddess." Noire said in disbelief.

"But they haven't, have they?" Histoire asked.

"There has been some grieving when they heard the news, but their faith in me has only strengthened." Noire said.

"See? Nothing to worry about." Neptune exclaimed enthusiastically, which brought a smile to Noire's face.

"Lastation's citizens must have suffered enough from the attack on your main city that they have the desire to see Jose's criminal empire burn to ashes. And it seems they want us CPUs and Paladin-Knights to be the spark that catches the fire." Andrew hypothesized.

"Quite the metaphor, there." IF said.

"Hmm? You've been pretty quiet, IF. Why only speak now?" Neptune asked, wondering what was going on.

"I guess I was thinking about this war. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you guys." IF meekly replied.

"I feel the same way." Konata replied.

"Let's not worry about this now. Luna, I'd like you to come with us to the hospital where the wounded are. You need to tend to your people." Noire said. Luna only nodded in reply, before following the two of them. It was then that Lucas walked up to them, with a bandage around his left shoulder.

"Took a round there, Lucas?" Andrew asked.

"Yeah. Hey, by the way. I want the two of you to go with a mixed unit on patrol. They know the route, so just follow them. They're waiting for you right over there." Lucas replied, before asking them a favor.

"Me and Neptune? Are you sure?" Andrew asked.

"Uh-huh. They requested a CPU's aid, and you two are the only ones we can spare." Lucas replied.

"Very well." Andrew said as he and Neptune walked over to the waiting group of men, a mix of Loweean, Planeptunian, Leanbox, Aurelian, and Lastation foot soldiers.

* * *

"Ah, Purple Shield, Purple Heart. Nice of you to join us. I'm Colonel Hudson, of the Free Aurelian Army." one of the men in the group said as he shook Andrew's hand and kissed Neptune's in a rather old fashioned greeting. Andrew paid no heed to it, since he knew it was a formal greeting a man would give a lady.

"You're quite the gentleman." Neptune complemented. "So, where are we going to be patrolling today?" she asked.

"We've got a trade route that runs between here and Griswall, our capital city. The mercs have been using it to run supplies and men here, so we're going out to find where their camp is." Hudson explained.

"I thought this was patrol, not recon or covert ops." Andrew replied quizzically.

"It still kinda counts, as we're running short of supplies. I don't want to be caught dead with a Loweean Erza-4 or a Leanbox or Lastation M-8C or M4A1." Hudson joked.

"Aw, come on, man! The Erza-4 isn't all that bad." a Loweean lieutenant whined.

"Read my lips... Don't take a joke too seriously!" Hudson snapped. Everyone laughed at the reply, not to mention that the Loweean himself laughed, while shaking his head. "Anyway, yes. This is a patrol mission. We have a pocket of control on the western end of the trade route that loops around the ruins of Breakwater Fortress, thanks to the Lastation Military Second Armored Division and PSF Twelfth Infantry Battalion. Heck, it gets us close enough to the enemy that we can see what they're doing." Hudson continued.

"Ah! That makes things more clear for me." Andrew replied. "So, are we good to head out?" he asked the men.

"Ready when you are." a Planeptunian shouted with vigor.

"Alright. Let's get this over with and return safe." Andrew said.

* * *

As Purple Shield, Neptune, and the Allied Forces group left Vitoze, a mercenary had eyes on them via a surveillance quadrotor. The operator gave a smirk, before tapping a button on a cellphone to Jose that sent a message: "Purple and Blue across the field." These words signify that last night's decoy counter attack worked, and the trap is sprung.

* * *

It has been hour since they left Vitoze, and already, the group on recon were close to the supposed enemy encampment. Andrew looked up, however, and spotted the drone.

"Is that one of ours?" Andrew asked, pointing at the quadrotor hovering silently above them.

"No. Probably a civilian quadrotor from Vitoze." Hudson muttered.

"If it were civilian, it shouldn't even be up here in a military operation area. I don't like this." Andrew muttered nervously.

"Neither do I. I suspect a trap." Neptune agreed cautiously.

"Oh stop it you two, you're making ev-" the Loweean soldier said optimistically, only to be interrupted when he had his head blown off by a sniper in the fields.

"Ambush! Take cover!" Hudson shouted. Just as he did, a hundred elite mercenaries appeared out of thin air, and they knew they had fallen into a trap.

"Mercs... with personal cloaking generators..." Hudson muttered in shock.

"It's a trap! We fell right into it!" the Planeptunian shouted. One of his buddies pointed to a man in an obscure, yet familiar uniform. Andrew and Neptune looked at him.

"So you fell into my trap. Jose was most displeased when he learned you had escaped the forest. I am here to correct that." the man said in a sick accent, with an unsettling grin.

"Just who are you?" Andrew demanded.

"My name is Greg Levitsky. And that is all you will ever know, before Jose gets paws on his slave girl." the officer replied, before two mercenaries each grabbed onto both Andrew and Neptune.

"No! You bastards, let her go!" Andrew shouted. He saw the fear and sadness grow in Neptune's eyes as a new kind of collar was locked around his neck, with the old style HDD Inhibitor collar around hers. "I'm going to kill you! I'll kill you all for this!" he continued to bark.

"All bark and no bite. Such a waste. Maybe you should control your dog a little more, Neptune. Mind if I rectify that?" Greg said to Neptune, who was struggling to get free. With a twist of a knob and the push of a button on Greg's remote, the strange collar sent an electric charge down Andrew's body. He screamed in pain as Neptune was forced to watch in horror as her husband and shield get tortured in a sick manner.

"No! Andrew!" Neptune shouted, almost in tears.

"It's your master's trump card, Neptune. Try to escape or fail to follow commands... your petty little husband gets it. This shock collar on him not only inhibits his HDD, it also sends a high voltage electric current down his body at the push of a button. If the need comes, the operator can go up to a voltage level just below the lethality line. Of course a Paladin-Knight like him can survive... but it'd be the most painful experience he'll ever have in his infinite lifetime. It hurts, doesn't it? Seeing the one you love tortured like this. Just do as your master tells you, and he won't have to suffer." Greg explained sinisterly.

"You sick fuck!" Hudson shouted in disgust, his hands on his head and his weapon taken. The other men in the group were in a similar situation.

"Hmph. Petty. Take the slave and her husband away... and kill the rest." Greg ordered. The Mercenaries attach shackles on Neptune and Andrew, before shoving them onto a truck meant for slave transport. As they drove off, Andrew and Neptune witnessed the men they followed gunned down, before returning to the shadows and driving off to forward base camps far from the decoy site, but still close enough to Vitoze that they can make a proper counter attack. However, nobody noticed that the PSF soldier survived the massacre, and continued to play dead for a few more minutes before he made his way to a passing patrol with the news.

* * *

Jose was beside himself with glee, if anyone could call it that, when he saw Neptune and Purple Shield at the doorstep, with Greg close behind them, holding the chain to make sure they didn't escape.

"So, your plan worked out. Just when Ludwig said it wouldn't." Jose said aloud. Andrew looked to the side to see Ludwig Schneider looking at him grimly, almost as if he lost his job, or was showing sympathy for him.

Jose then turned to Ludwig. "Ludwig Schneider. We made a deal. If his plan wouldn't work, you would become my right-hand man. If it did, which it clearly did, you would lose your rank and command." he said.

"Yeah, yeah." Ludwig said sadly.

"Don't worry. I still like you. Have a job guarding the slave and her husband." Jose said sinisterly, as if to taunt his former officer.

"Yes, sir." Ludwig said in humiliation, before dragging Neptune and Andrew into the basement. Andrew noticed, however, that there was something about the way he dragged them that indicated he was unhappy about what happened. He motioned the two of them into a cage and locked the door, before unshackling them, hanging the keys on the other side of the basement and closing the metal door.

"Where did I go wrong?" Andrew asked.

"What? No, don't think that." Neptune replied softly.

"How can I not? I failed you. I was supposed to protect you from slavery and I failed." Andrew said, pain showing through his eyes.

"Just because we fell into a trap we weren't prepared for, doesn't mean you failed me." Neptune countered.

"I might as well have. Now Jose has the best of both worlds: A CPU slave, and her husband with which he can use to blackmail you and control you." Andrew said, sadness filling his eyes.

"Don't think that." Neptune said again.

"How can I not?!" Andrew snapped, scaring Neptune in the process. She backed away from her husband, only to see him shed tears at their misery.

"Andrew..." Neptune mumbled, watching her husband, a strong and lightning-fast warrior, showing such weakness.

"I'm sorry, Neptune. If only Luna had foreseen this beforehand. If only I could have shared her premonition... I could have prevented this!" Andrew said, tears still streaming from his eyes. Neptune shuffled her way back to him and found him closer than before his outburst.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. Come on, honey, no tears." Neptune said as she looked him in the eyes and wiped his tears away with her thumbs. "You didn't fail me. And you aren't failing me now. We have nothing to worry about. Because in the end... we still have each other." Neptune said. The dramatic scene ended as the two of them embraced each other, Neptune comforting her husband as he buried his face in her shoulder.

* * *

"If only I had acted sooner." Luna said, a look of shame on her face. Everyone was gathered in the Town Hall, discussing the news they had received from the now-hospitalized Planeptunian soldier.

"We didn't know, because neither of us would think that mercs had the nerve to pull a trick like that. It isn't your fault, Luna." Noire said, feeling sad about what had happened. Behind them, Nepgear was curled up into a ball in the corner like a grieving child, with Uni sitting next to her, trying to comfort her.

"So, now that we have made this big intelligence blunder in our campaign against the enemy, what can we do to correct it?" Lucas asked, feeling somehow at fault for what transpired.

"That, we do not know. It may be months or years before we find out anything. By that time, Jose may move to whatever country is acting as a safe haven for these criminals, and we'll lose them forever. It's going to take a miracle to get us anywhere." Cortana said, with an obvious sigh. Everyone seemed to feel saddened by the news, and the meeting broke up with out answers, only more questions. Noire and Lance went back to the hotel, where they both embraced each other, full of worry and sadness. All of the Planeptunian troops were worried as well, but were asked to keep their faith for when the time comes.

* * *

"Okay, girlie, back to work." Jose said as he opened the cage door.

"Will Andrew be with me? I want him with me for support." Neptune asked.

"Sorry, no can do." Jose said with a smirk.

"Please! I'll lose my head if I don't have him near me! And what if I make a mistake like last time? I'll need someone to act as a witness!" Neptune pleaded.

"If you need a witness that badly, you're going to have to settle for one of my men. Now, leave the man behind, and get working." Jose ordered.

"No! If I don't have him close... I... I could really lose my head! I mean it! I'd be such an emotional wreck that I wouldn't be able to..." Neptune continued to plead, before witnessing Jose pull out the remote for Andrew's shock collar. "N-no! Please! Don't do it!" she begged desperately, wanting to save him the pain.

"Too late!" Jose said as he hit the button. The energy current tore through Andrew's body, and he screamed in response to the intense pain. Watching him suffer brought Neptune to tears.

"No... Please... stop!" Neptune cried.

"Be careful of what you say, girlie, or he gets another shock. Now, do as I ask, and get out of the cage." Jose ordered. Neptune could only comply, sighing as she crawled out. She glanced back at Andrew with sadness as she walked out while the cage was re-locked.

"Why did this have to happen...?" Andrew asked himself as he gripped the bars of the cage, watching Jose and Neptune walk out, before the basement door was closed. He glanced to his right, and saw Ludwig looking at him.

The expression on Ludwig's face read that he understands the pain Andrew was going through, and was trying to decide between two options. He could either defect with a mercenary pilot he knew and help the Allied Forces rescue them, or he can maintain his pitiful, insignificant job and watch the man suffer countless times. No, he decided he had to make a difference. Having a slave was one thing, but having another suffer just to keep that slave in check was unbearable. He refused to let it happen. With a pained smile, he handed Andrew a silver item, which appeared to be a special shock resistance ring.

"When the time is right, put this ring on your finger. It will allow you to be immune to the shock collar's effects." Ludwig whispered, before looking at the door to make sure nobody saw. Andrew could only give a pained smile, knowing that Ludwig made the right decision.

* * *

"Okay... I'm pretty hungry. Go make me a burger." Jose ordered, before walking off to his desk to fill out paperwork. Neptune, with her eyes still filled with tears, went to the oven and started making the burger. She wanted to stop and let her feelings out, but the fear of having Andrew suffer again kept her going. She was determined to do exactly as her master tells her to, just to save him from the pain. In ten minutes, the hamburger was done. However, she didn't know what he liked on his burgers, so she went and asked the guard who was standing watch over her.

"Um... What does the master like on his burgers?" Neptune asked.

"Why on earth do you ask? You should be working, not asking questions." the guard replied.

"I know, I know. I only want his burger to be just right." Neptune countered, before letting out a hefty sigh. "I don't want to see my poor husband suffer just because I messed up his food, you know?" she continued.

"Well... he likes ketchup... cheese... oh what the hell, let me write it down for you, it's going to take all day. Just don't put all the ingredients in at once. Hey, let me make it easier on you and group the additions by taste." the guard said, before writing everything down and handing the paper to her.

 _"W-what the heck?!"_ Neptune thought, completely bewildered. _"Why is this guard being so friendly?"_ she continued to think as she walked back to the hamburger, which was still quite warm. Looking over the list, she put in lettuce, chopped onions, cheddar cheese, tomato slices, and barbecue sauce, before putting the hamburger on a plate and taking it to Jose. "Here you go, Master." Neptune said as she gave him the plate. Jose took a bite, before shooing her off. She wanted to go back into the basement, but one of the guards told her that it was unwise. Without anything to do, Neptune just chose a wall and sat down, thinking about how Andrew might have been suffering emotionally in her absence.

* * *

"With the capture of Purple Heart and Purple Shield, you've been ordered to step up all air patrols. Twenty squadrons of aircraft will fly several combat air patrol shifts, ten in the morning, and ten at night. You will fly for as long as your fuel allows. If you spot something on radar, or you spot something visually, you are to contact the tower before engaging. Any questions?" Victor said as he waltzed between the pilots. The pilots being given this command are from all five nations, and will be providing CAP while the hunt for Neptune and Andrew continued.

"No questions, sir." Amethyst 1 said.

"Good. Now, report to your planes, gentlemen. Dismissed." Victor said, closing the briefing. As everyone left, Victor turned around and stared at the wall, deep in thought. While selected for supreme command of the allied air forces in this emergency, he wasn't sure if he was up to it. Just outside the room, Noire impatiently paced the hallway, a grim look on her face.

"L-lady black heart, is something wrong?" Reaper asked her. Noire looked at him to acknowledge him and his question, but didn't respond. Only she, her sister, Lance, and her other friends in the highest circle of command know exactly what happened. Nepgear has fallen ill with depression, seeing the situation hopeless. Noire ordered several teams of her intelligence network to find out where exactly Jose has gone with Andrew and Neptune, but they haven't made much progress. The longer they take to find an answer, or some sliver of hope, the worse Nepgear's condition gets. Noire suddenly burst out of the building and ran for a meadow to the south of Vitoze, near the ruins of Breakwater Fortress. She sat there for an hour, leaning against the charred wreckage of an Su-30 MKI Flanker.

"Everyone is losing their spirit. What are we going to do?" Noire muttered to herself. She, too, has lost hope. Her communicator suddenly went abuzz. It was a call from Histoire. She tapped the Answer button.

"You wanted to call about Nepgear's condition?" Noire asked, a tear almost visible on her eye.

"Yes, and no." Histoire replied. The 'no' part caught Noire by surprise.

"Please, Histoire, speak up." Noire shouted, just about ready to burst into tears.

"Well, Nepgear's condition has gotten worse, and we're forced to send her home on medical leave." Histoire reported. This was the final straw that broke Noire's spirit completely. Uni was suffering, because she couldn't bear to see Nepgear suffer. But Histoire wasn't finished. "That is, we would be, but we have asked her to hang on a bit longer, because a major development has risen in our search for Neptune and Andrew." she continued. This word completely shocked Noire, and a smile rose across her face. Hope. The one thing she let slip through her grasp, and it brought only more of it, like a poor man in a shack running away and returning with riches and food for his starving kids.

"Say no more, Histoire. I'm on my way." Noire replied with a smile, before closing the link.

* * *

"You see this, right? Look at him, suffering. But look at him suffer for the one he loves. I can help you rescue them, but it comes with a price." Ludwig said over the line via Andrew's N-Gear.

"Mercenary dog... why should we trust you?" Boss shouted. As a clone of a Mandalorian trained under the ideals of freedom, democracy, and equality by the best his dimension had to offer, his reaction was warranted.

"You don't have to trust me. But I am the only hope you have of getting them out alive. As such, I am going to defect. I've gotten in contact with a mercenary pilot who also wants to change sides, and he's agreed to fly me out. All I ask in return for my aid is immunity for me and the pilot." Ludwig explained.

"Are you sure about this?" Lucas asked. It's going to be tough for him to trust Luna's former master.

"Yes. I'm very sure. I've already made every detail of our plan, all we need is someone to execute it." Ludwig replied.

"Very well. What's the plan?" Histoire asked. Noire stood in the back with a pen and paper, ready to write down every detail of Ludwig's plan to defect.

"We'll fly out in a stolen plane and rendezvous with one of the five nations' air squadrons outside the enemy SAM zone. As soon as we enter Allied Forces airspace and get "intercepted" by your pilots, we will use the codeword "Valiant" to identify our plane. Once we get our identity settled, we'll change our IFF so that it matches that of the Allied Forces, so that we are not accidentally fired upon. After that, we need a designated landing zone." Ludwig explained.

"Sounds like a gamble, but we'll make it work." Histoire replied with a little thought.

"I know who to contact. I'll go ahead and do that now." Lucas said. He hastily went out and contacted an abandoned airport they recently reactivated, as well as the top Aurelian pilot.

"Very well. Let us not delay, for Andrew and Neptune depend on our cooperation." Ludwig said, before he closed the link.

* * *

"Thanks for letting me use your N-Gear, Andrew. I don't know if they will ever trust me, or if Luna will ever trust me, but I can at least prove to them that I am sincere." Ludwig said with a smile.

"No big deal, man. I'm glad you made the right choice." Andrew replied, also with a smile. There was then a knock on the grating, and the pilot who was going to defect with them opened it.

"Hello, Purple Shield, hehe. Enjoying your stay?" the man said, pretending to be smug about Andrew's capture.

"Why don't you come down here and find out?" Andrew replied with an equally deceptive tone of oppression and sadness, when in reality, he gave the man a friendly smile. The mercenary pilot motioned Ludwig to follow him through the grating, and to the airport. His cover was forged orders for Ludwig to oversee the training of pilots. The ploy worked, only because Jose hadn't informed anyone of his decision to demote the former commander. Ludwig climbed out of the basement and to the nearby airport.

* * *

"You have chosen well, Mishka. This plane will get us to the rendezvous with time to spare." Ludwig said as he looked at the two-seater Su-30.

"Thank you. I hope to get it redecorated for use in either Lastation or Aurelius, too. She's going to be my beautiful baby bird from now on." Mishka, the pilot, responded in a Bavarian accent. His words made Ludwig chuckle.

"I like your sense of humor, Mishka. Let us get inside and get out of dodge, before our "allies" figure out what we're up to. You have the data for Histoire, no?" Ludwig commented.

"Indeed I do. All on my trusty flash drive. I had to... coerce a female officer for it. She quite enjoyed the short time we had together." Mishka replied. "And more, too. Battle plans, weapon schematics, troop movements... I even put a trojan on their system to feed the Allied Forces updates in real time." he continued.

"Ahahaha... Let us see Jose recapture Purple Shield and Purple Heart after this coming breakout." Ludwig laughed as they climbed in the plane. The hangar doors open, and with the whine of jet engines, Ludwig and Mishka quickly taxi to the runway and takeoff. A textbook escape, Heaven's Bane had no idea what was going on, and they were too late to intervene when they noticed something amiss. At ten thousand feet in the air, they were en route to the rendezvous.

* * *

Above Aurelius, a lone, but skilled, Free Aurelian pilot cruised at Supersonic speed to the rendezvous point in a requisitioned F-22 Raptor, repainted in Aurelian colors. On the back was the image of a Gryphon. foreshadowed by the Southern Cross constellation. This man was Christopher Patterson, AKA Gryphus 1, the best pilot that the Free Aurelian Air Force has to offer. He had been slipped the necessary information, and was given his mission: "intercept" a lone Heaven's Bane-affiliated aircraft and escort him to the airfield between Breakwater Fortress and Vitoze. He had music playing in his head when the GPS signaled his onboard computer, nicknamed "Zoe", to tell him he had reached the waypoint.

"Okay... where is that... I think that's them..." Christopher thought as he spotted the plane he was to escort. He knows that the defector was playing the intruder so they wouldn't arouse suspicion. He had just the speech to maintain the deception. "Heaven's Bane aircraft, you are intruding in Allied Forces-controlled airspace. Tune your radio to 148.60 MHz and alter your course to heading two seven zero. Failure to comply will result in your death." he said, almost laughing at himself for the soap opera of an intercept mission. Christopher tuned the radio to the designated frequency. A voice on the other end let him know that he established contact.

"Quite the speech there, pilot. Maybe you should have chosen to be minister of defense, rather than a pilot." Ludwig said, laughing. The words also got Christopher laughing.

"Alright, scumbag, let's get this done quick, before the enemy sends fighters after you. What's the codeword?" Christopher asked, being friendly with his use of the word "scumbag".

"Codeword: Valiant." Ludwig replied. There was a moment of silence.

"Your credit card is accepted, follow me in." Christopher said jokingly, poking fun at Ludwig's former status as a mercenary. Just after that, Mishka changes the Su-30's IFF transponder as was planned, and they flew to the airfield.

"Alright, let's tune the radios to 165.40 MHz for Breakwater Tower." Christopher ordered after ten minutes of flying. As ordered, Mishka changes the radio frequency to get in contact with the tower. "Hey, Breakwater Tower, say hello to my little friend! I have brought back the defector! This is Gryphus 1, requesting permission to land." Christopher continued.

"Landing clearance for both planes is acknowledged. Welcome home, Lieutenant Colonel." the control tower operator returned.

"Alright, follow me in." Christopher instructed. After five minutes, both planes were on the ground and parked. Histoire, Noire, and Luna were at the airport waiting for them. Luna went white, however, when she saw who exactly the defector was.

"M-master? W-what are you doing here? You're not going to punish me for my escape, are you?" Luna asked, almost panicking.

"Hello again, Ms Azure Heart. Not to worry, I'm done with slavery, so you don't have to call me "master" anymore. In fact, I'm willing to pledge myself to you. Here's a little heart to heart relaxation stuff for you, if you don't trust me." Ludwig said, before Mishka gave them the thumb drive.

"This data drive holds all the data necessary for a successful rescue operation, including manpower, equipment loadout, and other technical data for the area. As a little bonus, I pulled battle plans, weapon schematics, troop movements... and something I left on their servers that will allow you to update the information in real time." Mishka explained.

"Thank you very much guys. We will form a plan of action and hit them first thing in the morning." Histoire said happily.

* * *

Nepgear was getting better by the minute. News of Ludwig's defection bringing information on her sister and brother-in-law spread fast among the allied forces, reinvigorating many men.

"Oh, sister. I can't wait to see you again." Nepgear said to herself happily.

"I can't either." Tsukasa agreed.

"We all can't. Everyone's been frantically looking for a way to rescue them. These defectors are the breakthrough we desperately needed." Kagami said, a smile on her face.

"Glad to see you getting better, Nepgear. I was so worried you might have to be hospitalized." Uni said happily.

"Hey, we should be getting to bed soon. The rescue op is first thing tomorrow, and we need every soldier to be at their best. The fighting is only going to get a lot tougher." IF said.

* * *

"You've done enough for today, Neptune." Jose said, before motioning the guard to take her back into the basement. Neptune followed, and saw Andrew looking like he was in as much pain as he was before. The guard opened the cage and let her in, before closing and locking it again. Seeing Andrew hurt like this made her heart sink. It didn't seem fair. After the basement door closed, however, Andrew looked Neptune in the eye and his face brightened up enormously.

"What's with the bright smile? Did they turn you into a bipolar or something?" Neptune asked him, a little creeped out.

"Not even, Neptune. Two of Jose's men have defected to our side, and they took information with them - information that is vital to our rescue. They're coming for us, Neptune! We're going to be free again!" Andrew explained. Neptune's happiness returned, and they embraced each other joyfully.

* * *

The next morning, everyone was assembled in a gym for briefing.

"Alright, so here's the details on Jose's defenses. Jose has three armored columns here, and here, machine gun nests along here, pillboxes and artillery pits here... a DEADS and SAM defense zone here... and finally a group of IFVs. All supplemented by Jose's elite, under the command of Greg Levitsky, Ludwig's "successor"." IF explained as she looked over the data, all confirmed by Lastation's satellite surveillance network. "And it seems that these men have access to personal cloaking generators, like the men who captured them." she continued.

"Cripes, that's a lot of defenses." a soldier cried when he saw everything.

"What gives?! This is practically a suicide mission!" another soldier yelled.

"I know how you guys feel about this. It is not going to be easy. But so long as both Andrew and Neptune remain in Jose's grasp, Heaven's Bane has a surefire way of conquering Planeptune. And that would drastically alter the course of this war. Millions will suffer and even die if we let this be. That is something we cannot allow." Noire said, getting irritated by the outcries coming from the soldiers.

"But what of the potential casualties?! Do you realize that too many men will lose their lives?!" a female soldier asked.

"The words and insight of a potential officer, my dear friend. That is why we've called for backup. We've got more men coming in to help us... and these men know war and tactics better than anyone." Noire countered. The chief, who was watching the proceedings, wasn't sure of what she was talking about.

"Those men, my friends, are the United Nations Space Command." Vert began.

"And, a UEF element led by Dominic Maddox." Luna concluded.

"These two factions have agreed to add their forces to ours during the period of this war. With this strength, we can win this battle. We can win this war!" Noire finished. The pep talk aroused the troops, giving them an unbreakable spirit.

"With that out of the way, here's what we have planned. The operation will start with an orbital drop by SPARTAN Blue Team and Logan Star of the UNSC 83rd Shock Battalion, who will be supported by Blanc. They will be the vanguard of our assault. Following their entry, Noire, Vert, and Luna will lead the main assault from the south, while Maddox, Cloud, Kagami and Haruhi lead a separate assault from the southeast, and the Chief, The Arbiter, Solid Snake, and Avan will lead their own assault from the southwest. Delta Squad will have their own entry point, to the north, supported by Section and Lance. Given their defenses, we will need to use all our available assets, so this means a combined assault from the ground and from the air. I expect you all to perform at your best today. All of Planeptune depends on our success. Dismissed." IF said, explaining the operation. After she concluded, everyone stood up and got ready for battle.

* * *

"So, this... Neptune... she's a goddess, correct?" Dominic Maddox asked.

"That's correct. And before you ask, yes. Her husband is a Paladin-Knight." Histoire confirmed.

"Neptune looks kinda small... like a kid, even." Terrence Hood mused.

"You do know that looks are deceiving with her, sir." The Chief corrected as he walked in.

"Ah, Master Chief. Good to see you." Lord Admiral Hood said.

"You too, sir." The Chief agreed. With him was a man of about middle age. However, as the Chief said, looks can be deceiving.

"We don't have much time, Master Chief, so whatever you have for us, make it quick." Histoire said sternly.

"Ma'am. I found this... man wandering around the town perimeter, in HDD. His name is Jacob, and he claims to be Neptune's younger brother." The Chief introduced.

"A man with CPU powers, who is not a Paladin-Knight. His name is Jacob, and he claims to be... can it be? Jacob, it is you!" Histoire shouted, almost jumping for joy.

"Glad to see you too, Histoire. If it wasn't for Jolly Green Giant here, I wouldn't have known you were still here. I've been all over Gamindustri looking for you, because I am looking for my sister." Jacob explained. The Chief made no reply on the "Jolly Green Giant" comment, believing it to be on account on the size and coloring of his MJOLNIR Power Armor.

"You'll see her soon, son. Right now, she and her husband are being held as slaves in the den of Jose Carter, the leader of a major criminal organization." Terrence explained.

"Great. I just reawaken from stasis, only to find my older sister married to some guy I don't even know, in the hands of a crime lord, and all of Gamindustri at war. Thanks a lot, Neptune, for putting me in such an awkward future." Jacob whined, before touching a strange amulet around his neck.

"He was in stasis since before the Console War, and just happened to have been reawakened at the worst possible time in our history." Histoire said.

"What's that amulet around his neck?" Dominic Maddox asked.

"Oh, this? It's a weapon I developed, named Ignite. It allows me to channel dark powers without succumbing to them. As such, my abilities can increase in power tenfold." Jacob explained.

"That might not be be a good weapon to have. If it were to fall in the wrong hands..." Cortana theorized.

"Hey, the assault starts in an hour." an advisor said.

"Oh, right. Jacob, I want you to join Blanc in our Vanguard force. Get the Crimson Broadsword and join her on the cruiser Reliance. I'll let her know you're on your way." Histoire ordered.

"Very well, Histoire." Jacob said as he left.

"I hope things will be okay. There was something about that amulet that gave me a bad omen." Maddox said.

* * *

Jacob went to the motel and grabbed his sword, before joining Blanc on a Pelican dropship that was bound for the cruiser in geostationary orbit above the target.

"Who... no way... Jacob? Last time I saw you, Neptune foresaw the conflict between the goddesses and put you in stasis!" Blanc exclaimed.

"Yeah. I remember the crush we had back then." Jacob said.

"What was that?!" Blanc snapped, her classic red eye showing. Her reaction made Jacob jump, garnishing a fit of laughter from Blanc. "Oh, I got you! I so got you!" she shouted. Jacob sighed.

"You did that again... like you did when we had just started our relationship." Jacob said, his face flustered.

"Oh, come on, you know I like to tease you, Jacky... Oh how I missed that nickname. It may have been minutes for you in stasis, but for me, it's been an eternity." Blanc said.

"So that's why Histoire stuck me with you for this battle. It's to give us a chance to reconnect." Jacob mused.

"Indeed. And I missed every moment we spent together. Let's finish this battle and get back to it, shall we?" Blanc asked.

"Yeah... Let's..." Jacob said, as they embraced each other. They continued to hug each other for as long as they could, while the Pelican continued its ascent into space.

"Alright, you two, we're about to land. Get ready to disembark." the pilot announced as the Pelican dropship entered the hangar of the cruiser. Jacob and Blanc broke their embrace and stood up, just as the loading ramp lowered.

"Welcome aboard the UNSC Reliance. Follow me, the men you're going with are this way." a UNSC Naval Officer said as he led the way. Jacob and Blanc follow him through the corridors of the large cruiser, and into an ODST ready room. "SPARTAN Blue Team, Logan, this is Blanc and Jacob. They will be supporting you on this mission." the officer introduced. The four soldiers stood up and briskly saluted the two CPUs. Blanc and Jacob eyed each other in response, confused about what was happening.

"We've been told that the CPUs are going to be our supreme commanding officers for quite some time. Logan Star, ODST, 83rd Shock Battalion. That is Frederick-104, Kelly-087, and Linda-058 of SPARTAN Blue Team. We look forward to serving with you." Logan explained, before introducing everyone.

"Are introductions done? Good, because the drop is in fifteen." Arcadia, the Reliance's AI, spoke.

"That gives us only ten minutes to prepare. Blanc, Jacob, if you would be so kind." Kelly instructed, her joking not getting through to the two CPUs as they followed her. "Alright, here's the basics. Hatch, stick, jettison charges, etc. Upon entry, the hatch closes and seals. Normally we have a pre-determined flight path or a semi-automatic Unified Control System flying the thing, but just in case both fail, here it is. If you happen to fail to hit the ground or the hatch fails to open, hit the charges to blow the door off the pod. Also, Ammo and gun racks for firearms, O2 mask for pressure failures, bumper stickers, decals... you get what I mean." she explained.

"N...no we don't." Blanc complained.

"You lost us as soon as you mentioned "bumper stickers"." Jacob concurred.

"You do realize that Kelly likes to crack jokes, even at the mot inappropriate times." Fred explained.

"Heh. That reminds me too much of Neptune." Jacob laughed, realizing what had eluded them.

"I was under the impression that SPARTANS were supposed to be super-serious. I guess Sierra-117 isn't the perfect model for you guys." Blanc explained.

"Wait... how long has John-117 been here?" Linda asked, sounding completely shocked.

"Who the hell is... no way! He never mentioned his name to any of us!" Blanc exclaimed.

"Understandable... but I wonder why he had to be super serious and not use his real name." Kelly thought out loud.

"I don't know. I thought it had to do with professionalism." Blanc suggested.

"Blanc, when you've seen one SPARTAN, that's exactly what you've seen. One SPARTAN. Our personalities range variously, like the average person." Fred explained.

"Ah." was all Blanc could say in reply.

"Five minutes to drop! Get ready!" Logan announced.

"So, ready for the ride of your life?" Kelly asked.

"Sure, Kelly, I just LOVE the idea of dropping to earth from orbit in a giant metal capsule like a meteor!" Jacob complained.

"Hehe, welcome aboard, Jacob." Kelly joked snidely. The minutes pass.

"One minute!" Logan shouted. Everyone got in their drop pods and strapped themselves in. The hatches closed and sealed. After the minute passes, the magnetic clamps disengage and the pods drop out of the ship, falling back to Gamindustri. The atmosphere glowed around the pods, the heat of re-entry threatening to burn them up on decent, too fast for the DEADS and the SAM defenses to track effectively. But the pods hold firm, and they lose velocity rapidly. Finally at 3,000 feet, the retro thrusters engage, bringing the pods to a slow, comfortable touchdown. On the ground, the hatches open, and everyone ran out into the battle, the mercenaries caught completely off guard by the sudden attack. Jacob's pod failed to open, so he hit the charges. The door jettisons, plowing right into a group of mercenaries readying themselves to meet the attacking Allied Forces.

* * *

"Vanguard has reached the target zone. Let's go." Section reported. They had been waiting in the brush with active personal cloaking devices. They walked up to the rear point and started taking out mercenaries left and right.

"Ah! G-ghosts!" a mercenary shouted, fear gripping him.

"Switch to Thermals, hurr-" another merc ordered, before getting his neck snapped. By this time the mercs were shooting in every direction, hoping to hit something. But they sometimes hit each other in the chaos.

"Oh man! I'm not paid enough for this!" a merc whined. It was then that Section, Delta Squad and Lance turned off their cloaking generators.

"Sorry to pop in unannounced!" Lance said, before transforming and shoving his sword into a merc's chest. The mercs opened fire, but they were quickly taken out by the uncloaked men, too off guard to effectively counter the surprise attack.

"Well, that's got the enemy confused." Scorch said, before they all recloaked.

"Man, I love these things!" Section said.

"North Guard, what happened? North Guard, report! North Guard has been taken out, somebody investigate!" Greg ordered on the radio.

* * *

Christopher was flying Combat Air Patrol over the assault force, while Infinity Squadron and Amethyst Squadron performed ground strikes and SEAD missions against the enemy.

"Enemy Air Defense is forty percent destroyed. The mission is going well." Amethyst 1 reported.

"Bandits! Incoming! Vector zero eight zero. Analysis confirms that they are MiG-31 Foxhounds and Su-25 Frogfoots." the AWACS announced.

"Gryphus 2, you ready?" Christopher asked the new member of his squadron, Mishka.

"Ready and willing." Mishka replied, his newly repainted and modified Su-30 flying beside the F-22.

"Break off and engage." Christopher orders. The two planes split up and fly into the enemy formation.

"Don't leave us hanging. Blaze, engaging!" the pilot in the black F-14D called out, the three black F/A-38s splitting off.

"And so the Razgriz finally reveal themselves. Welcome aboard, Blaze. Your skill in the dogfight over the Western Isles was exceptional. Let's do it again, shall we?" Bishop said.

"Copy, Warwolf 1." Blaze agreed. The planes flew through the merge. Some of the newbie merc pilots, fearing a midair collision, performed evasive maneuvers, sometimes running into each other. But the MiGs, being controlled by veteran pilots, held firm, turning to engage the fighters. They misjudged, however, the technological and numerical supremacy of the allied forces as more planes from Planeptune and Lastation entered the fray, taking out the Su-25s before the MiG pilots could react.

""Our planes filled the skies like a huge, aluminum cloud."" Blaze said, quoting the late Captain Davenport.

"This is way beyond overkill." Amethyst 3 commented.

"Art of War man, use all your available resources where they count." Reaper shouted.

"But that's not even what it means!" Amethyst 3 complained.

"Hey, we're on mission. If you want to goof off, save it for the ground." Noire shouted.

"Sorry, milady." Reaper replied. Amethyst 1's AESA Radar ticks the remaining bandits and shares the data with all of Amethyst squadron through the Tac Links. Same thing went for Infinity Squadron. Blaze tapped into the data and went for the best possible kill. Switching to multi-lock AIM-120D AMRAAM missiles, he fired four in a volley, and two of them hit their mark. Edge, Blaze's number 2, followed suit with a mix of AIM-9X Sidewinder and Python all aspect missiles, each of them hitting a target.

"They're dropping like flies!" Amethyst 6 commented.

* * *

"This is Dominic Maddox with B Company, we're approaching the target. ETA is ten minutes." Maddox announced, at the controls of his ACU. Beside his ACU were Rock Head and Thunderhead Main Battle Tanks. The Thunderhead, last seen in the Western Isles assault, was more numerous, and oftentimes crewed by all five nations, sometimes by people from all five nations in one tank. The UEF Rock Head MBT, which people considered to be the Thunderhead's twin, had a similar configuration, but required only two or three crew members due to it's semi-automation - a driver and two gunners.

"Enemy tanks in sight! Range is twenty miles!" the commander in a Rock Head announced.

"Turret, minus twenty-two horizontal, five degrees up! Fire!" a Thunderhead commander shouted. The gunner oriented the turret precisely, before the duel railgun fired in a loud, energetic roar. The ballistic shell screamed at high supersonic towards its target, before hitting smack dab into the ammo rack of a T-72, the resulting explosion forcing its turret off the chassis.

"Good kill! New target, plus sixty degrees! Fire!" the commander ordered. The gunner reoriented the turret and fired the railgun, the sound of thunder echoing across the battlefield. This time, the shell pierced clean through the engine of its target, stopping it dead in its tracks.

"Enemy tank, disabled!" the gunner reported. As they got closer, twelve T-72s rolled in to meet the attackers head on. This time, it was the Rock Head's turn to show its teeth. It wasn't as good as the Thunderhead at long range, having a low-charge high-output railgun of a lesser caliber, but it was rugged, and was especially effective at ranges matching that of the famous M4A-32 Sherman tank from 1944. The main gunner simply tapped the target on the touchscreen and the Rock Head's computer did the rest. The turret automatically oriented itself, keeping track of the target, before the gunner pulled the trigger. Like before, the railgun fired. Unlike the Thunderhead, the Rock Head was capable of rapid fire due to it's specialized ammo rack. The shells split right through the enemy tank and detonated the ammo racks, creating another fireball.

"haha! Good kill!" the Rock Head's commander congratulated.

* * *

"C Company here, enemy ground troops have us in a bind. Requesting artillery support!" Avan radioed. He and the rest of C Company were dug in, facing a hailstorm of bullets as PSF, Loweean, Leanbox, Lastation, and Free Aurelian army personnel and marines died around them, one man every eight minutes.

"Apex, here, artillery is on the way." a Loweean announced. Far behind them, Loweean self-propelled artillery began firing on the enemy toops, their high explosive and incendiary rounds sending shrapnel and fire in the merc's direction.

"Artillery support is on target, keep up the good work!" Avan reported. Every shell landed, and every shell had an effect on the strength the enemy had.

"Tangos, to our right! They're trying to flank us!" a PSF infantryman shouted, firing his PLR in the direction of the enemy troops.

"This isn't good. C Company to all available parties, we're getting hit hard! Requesting immediate support!" Avan shouted in the radio.

* * *

Andrew was chained up to the opposite wall, taking shock after shock, simply because Neptune refused to work the fields outside due to the gunfire.

"Neptune, you are trying my patience!" Jose bellowed, hitting the button again.

"And if the Allied Forces get me?" Neptune asked.

"Then I will keep torturing your husband until you come walking back and surrender yourself to me." Jose said sternly.

"We both know that I won't come back to you." Neptune said snidely.

"Last chance. Get to work!" Jose shouted.

"No. I don't think it's worth it. You could lose your slave." Neptune said. Jose, having enough, twisted the knob to the right, increasing the voltage. He kept twisting and twisting as Neptune watched. It was then that she realized, he was actually going for maximum charge. "No... Please don't... Don't do it! You don't know exactly what you're doing!" Neptune begged.

"Hehehehe! You should have thought about it before you started defying my orders. My word is law, honey, and when that law is broken, you get punished. When he breaks, you will break. It is that simple." Jose said with a smirk.

"No matter... how many times you hit that button, I will not allow myself to break." Andrew said, panting.

"Oh. How shocking." Jose countered, before hitting the button. At maximum charge, Andrew let out a blood-curdling scream as his body was cooked from the inside, Neptune watching in horror.

"STOP! STOP! YOU'RE KILLING HIM, STOP!" Neptune cried in horror. After a full minute of screaming, the collar finally stopped sending him the electric current, leaving him panting, smoke rising from his flesh.

"How many times will I have to give him the shock treatment, hmm?" Jose asked sadistically. Andrew grunted in pain as he tried to turn his head to look Neptune in the eye.

"Please... just leave him alone." Neptune cried.

"It's okay, Neptune... Pain is temporary, but love is forever... I don't care how many... times he shocks me with his damn button, but the Allied Forces are getting close. I can feel it." Andrew said to Neptune, his voice hoarse.

"Silence!" Jose shouted, before hitting the button again, this time for a two second shock.

"Sir! Allied Forces are on our doorstep!" a messenger shouted.

"I'm well aware of that, kid." Jose said, not paying much attention.

"No, I mean they're literally on our doorstep!" the messenger corrected. This caught Jose's attention.

"Literally?" Jose asked quizzically.

"Yes, sir. Commandos with personal cloaking devices that came in from the north end, and SPARTANS that fell from the sky in drop pods! They've... They've got two CPUs and Black Shield with them!" the messenger explained.

"As I predicted, the fools come running back for them." Jose said snidely.

"Huh?" the messenger asked

"I learned from the last time. This time, I'm well prepared." Jose said, before he and the elite mercs in the room vanished in plain sight.

"Just like they captured us... They're setting a trap for our rescuers." Neptune muttered, afraid of what is going to happen.

"Have faith, Neptune." Andrew said quietly, slipping the ring onto his finger.

* * *

"Give me back my sister!" Jacob shouted furiously as he sliced a mercenary clean in half, before beheading another. Linda and Fred were completely shocked at what they were witnessing. Blanc just went along with it, chopping the enemy in half with her axe.

"You assholes are going to die!" Blanc shouted, burying the edge of her axe viciously in her victim's face.

"This is bloody." Logan muttered. A flight of F/A-38s suddenly flew overhead, dropping napalm on the mercenaries attacking C Company.

"Just like old times, eh Fred?" Kelly asked.

"I... guess." Fred replied, knowing she was referring to their original role in putting down insurrectionists. They were already outside the place where Jose was keeping Neptune and Andrew. Suddenly Lance, Section and Delta Squad uncloaked, firing on mercenaries. The mercenary defense became thinner and thinner as each minute passes.

"C Company here, the Mercenaries here are losing traction." Cortana announced through communications.

"A Company. Enemy forces are losing the will to fight." Noire reported.

"B Company. The enemy is faltering here, too. It's only a matter of time." Maddox reported. Fixer, Boss and Scorch kept shooting the enemy forces, while the two CPUs and Black Shield hacked and slashed away at the enemy as well. After a few minutes, the Mercs outside the building were killed off.

"It's a shame they didn't surrender." Logan said, checking the ammo in his MA5C.

"They're mercenaries. They only care about money, and are willing to die for it." Lance said.

"Enough talk, we've got my sister and her husband to rescue." Jacob said. The fury in his voice sent shivers down Blanc's spine.

"Scorch, get a breaching charge on that door!" Section ordered. Scorch immediately went to work, and finished in three seconds.

"Charge set!" Scorch announced. In his hand, he had the detonator.

"Hit it!" Section ordered. Scorch hit the button on the detonator, and the charge blasted the door to splinters. After that, everyone went inside, finding it eerily empty.

"Huh? Was this all for nothing?" Jacob asked.

"No, it couldn't have been... something's wrong!" Section muttered.

"He's got a point, something doesn't feel right." Fred agreed.

"Switch to Thermals, everyone. Blanc, Jacob, you two go down to the basement." Section ordered. Blanc and Jacob turned and headed to the basement. As everyone else switched to their thermal cameras, heat signatures appeared everywhere. "Just as I thought." he muttered, looking around at all the heat signatures. They pulled out smoke grenades and detonated them, filling the room with smoke. The mercenaries, not having been equipped with infrared headsets, couldn't counter it, and were caught off guard. Unable to see, they fell one at a time. With the mercenaries in the room dead, the group split up and went around looking for more enemies.

* * *

Blanc and Jacob entered the basement to see a badly tortured Andrew and a fear-stricken Neptune.

"Neptune!" Jacob shouted as he ran to the cage.

"Jacob? Bro! Forget me, just get out of here!" Neptune shouted, warning him.

"No, forget that! I'm not leaving without you!" Jacob countered.

"You don't understand! My master is here, in this room!" Neptune continued to shout.

"Is that some sort of joke?" Jacob asked.

"No! I mean it! He's got a cloaking generator on him!" Neptune warned. Suddenly, the door slammed shut, and became locked. It was then that Jose and the two mercenaries uncloaked.

"No..." Neptune cried.

"Ah, you Allied Forces guys are so gullible. When will you learn about these personal cloaking generators?" Jose mocked.

"Jose..." Blanc spat.

"You... You're my sister's master? Let her and her husband go and I will let you live." Jacob said, trying to reason with him.

"No chance of that." Jose said, as Jacob and Blanc suddenly drop out of HDD.

"What?! My form!" Blanc shouted.

"I learned from the last time. Within these walls is an HDD jammer, just like the one we used in the forest outside Lastation." Jose said. He started pulling out the remote to Andrew's shock collar, still on maximum charge. "Two options. Surrender, or watch Neptune's husband suffer." he said.

"We can't surrender. Not while we still have a chance!" Blanc shouted. Jose turned to her, then to Jacob. That's when he noticed the amulet around his neck.

"What's this?" Jose asked, pulling the amulet off Jacob's neck.

"Oh no..." Neptune muttered, realizing the most powerful weapon they had was now in Jose's hands.

"Stop! You don't know what you're doing!" Jacob said, warning Jose of the immense power within.

"Watch me!" Jose shouted.

"You don't understand, Jose! That amulet has power you can't possibly hope to control! Any unprepared or weak mind will be corrupted by its immensely dark power!"

"Oh. Power. That's good!" Jose said as he walked away with the amulet, not believing a word Jacob said. He had no intention of wearing it, but he would keep it as a trophy. He then walked into a hidden passageway, out of the sight of the Allied Forces, but he never noticed Section and Scorch watching him under the cover of their cloaking generators. The two of them went to the door and set a breaching charge, before blowing it.

"Huh?!" one of the mercenaries shouted. Looking past the smoldering door, they could see nothing, before they got a face full of nine millimeter bullets.

"Clear!" Section said as he and Scorch uncloaked.

"Section?! Good to see you! How did you know?" Blanc said excitedly.

"When we noticed you failing to report in, we knew something was wrong." Section explained.

"Yeah. Too bad Jose escaped." Scorch said.

"Worse than that, really. Far worse." Neptune corrected.

"Huh?" Section asks.

"My poor Andrew is badly hurt. That, and Jose has my brother's amulet, which just happens to be the most powerful magical weapon in existence." Neptune explained.

"That's not good." Scorch muttered.

"Forget that for a while. Let's get you guys out of here." Section said. He went to the shackles on the wall and unlocked them with one of the guards' keys. The moment they opened, Andrew fell straight to the floor, showing he was too weak from the pain he endured to stand. Section then used his TacPad on the electronic lock to Neptune's cage, and opens the door. Neptune crawled out of the cramped space and stretched, before helping Andrew up.

"We're finally free, Andrew. We're going back." Neptune said with a smile.

"That's great, love. I'd very much like that. For both of us." Andrew replied, his voice still hoarse and quiet. Blanc and Jacob joined in to help, and they followed Section, Scorch, and the rest of the strike team outside, where a Blackhawk waited to take them. The sound of gunfire had calmed down to where there was very little of it every so often, indicating that the fighting was just about over.

"No Pelican, huh?" Kelly asked.

"Guess not. We'd better return to Vitoze, though." Section said.

* * *

"Welcome back, everyone." Histoire said as they got out of the Blackhawk. She turned to the sight of Andrew needing help to get out. His eyes showed extreme pain. "Oh my! What happened?" Histoire asked, completely shocked.

"Jose tortured him really badly with electric shock. Wouldn't even stop. He even went to levels just below what is lethal to humans. All because I refused to follow commands. It was horrible! Just horrible! Seeing him in such pain... it broke my little heart." Neptune said, breaking into tears at the vivid memory of her husband being hit with so many high voltage electric currents from his shock collar.

"It's okay, big sis. you're safe now." Jacob said, hugging her.

"NEPTUNE!" Nepgear shouted, running towards her big sister. Neptune turned to look at her, before giving off a forced smile. Nepgear kept running toward them, taking out her special tool. She went to Neptune, and used it on her HDD inhibitor, which, like last time, fell off easily. She then turned to Andrew, and used it on the shock collar. This led to a different result, sending electrical energy coursing through both of them. Andrew just cringed and let off a low, pained moan, while Nepgear screamed, pulling the device away from the collar. "W-what the... what was that?" Nepgear asked.

"It's likely a shock collar. Probably has a different lock system." Section theorized.

"Yeah. It's a shock collar." Neptune confirmed, looking at Andrew with a sad expression.

"Let me try something..." Section said as he worked his TacPad close to the shock collar. After a little while, it beeps, and comes off easily.

"Th-thank you." Neptune said.

"I need a vacation, bad." Andrew said painfully, his voice still quiet and hoarse.

"I can only agree with that. I'm sending you two back to Planeptune for two weeks, so he can recover in a safe place. Since he's too weak to stand right now, I'm sending Compa with the two of you." Histoire said, facing Neptune.

 _"Booyah! More girl time with Andrew!"_ Neptune thought teasingly, though still glad to be out of that nightmare again. Histoire led them both to a Pelican that will take them to Planeptune. Andrew needed help, given the fact that he was too hurt to walk, let alone transform. They get on the Pelican and it flies off. Everyone else stayed behind. As the dropship flew off into the distance, Section whispered in Histoire's ear, and her face went white because of what she just heard. Cortana's and Maddox's fears became reality. The most powerful CPU item in existence now lies in the hands of the most powerful crime lord in Gamindustri. Just after she had received the casualty reports, things have gotten really bad for the Allied Forces.

* * *

Andrew was fast asleep, his head resting on Neptune's shoulder. She had her arm wrapped around him, holding him close. The ride back to the Planeptune Basilicom was very quiet. Neptune thought back at how they both suffered those past couple days, and then forward at what the two of them can do during the couple weeks they have at home. Compa watched over the two of them like a hawk, ready to help Andrew the moment they land at the Basilicom. After that, she has to go back to Aurelius to help treat the wounded. The minutes seemed to tick by like months, but after a while, they finally arrived at the Basilicom.

"Okay, Andrew, we're here." Neptune said, waking the man up.

"Ugh, what time is it?" Andrew asked tiredly. Neptune giggled in response.

"Ah, you're too funny. Come on, let's get you inside, you wounded warrior." Neptune said cheerfully. All Andrew could do was chuckle, as Compa slung him over her shoulder. They walked inside the Basilicom and took the elevator to the top floor, going straight for the bedroom. They then laid Andrew on the bed, before putting the covers over him.

"Now listen to me carefully, Neptune. He's to get plenty of rest this first night. Oh, and he can't cook or do quests or anything, and he's to eat soft things and drink plenty of fluids. If he feels feverish, put some ice on his chest or a cold towel on his forehead." Compa explained.

"And what if he can't move? What if he needs bathing? What if he needs to use the bathroom? And what about changing his clothes?" Neptune asked.

"If he can't feed himself, you'll have to feed him. Bathing is going to probably be a big issue. Bathroom issues, he can probably handle if you help him. As for changing his clothes, he's going to need really big help with that." Compa explained.

"So I have to do pretty much everything for him, right?" Neptune asked.

"Pretty much, yeah. Cosette and I won't be on hand to help him, because we're going to be out in Aurelius helping our wounded." Compa replied.

"Then leave it to me. I'll take care of him like maid if I have to." Neptune said enthusiastically.

"If you say so." Compa said with a chuckle, before leaving. As Compa left, Neptune looked at the clock. It was already nine o'clock, and the stars shone brightly over Planeptune. With a smile, Neptune climbed in bed with Andrew, turned out the light, and fell asleep.

END OF CHAPTER 6 OF "THE NEPTUNIA CHRONICLES"

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES-  
This chapter, having taken so long to write under tremendous mental workload, might be shaky at best. There may be plenty of things that need to be redone. If you want me to change anything or leave the current progress as-is, let me know in a review, or send your grievances to my email address in a PM. Remember that your opinion matters.

Jacob is the name of a character a friend of mine on G+ uses in his HDN Roleplays (might even be his real name, I haven't asked the guy). His special weapon in this, the amulet Ignite, stems from two of those roleplays.

In one review, someone asked to add Gryphus 1 from Ace Combat X - Skies of Deception as a character. I have done so, with plans of alternating between joking and serious personality traits depending on the situation in combat.

The meeting between Ludwig and Mishka loosely resembles a scene from HAWX 2, between the lead Russian character and Wolfhound.

I felt it appropriate that Halo would get a stronger representation as the story progresses. This war does involve characters from different dimensions, after all, so why stop now?

I felt Supreme Commander 2 didn't get enough love with the simple Battle Action system, not to mention that I have a burning love for the United Earth Federation in terms of weapons and technology in the Supreme Commander series. (The Illuminate seemed much like a ripoff of the Covenant, while the chipheaded Cybrans were cheesy altogether, though their fighter bombers and their destroyers did look good.) Thus, Dominic Maddox gets a spotlight as a hero character in the story.

DEADS is an acronym for "Directed Energy Air Defense System" if you are unaware.


	7. Two Weeks Off

The Neptunia Chronicles

Two Weeks Off

"Andrew. Andrew." Neptune cooed. It was 9:03 AM, and she was already up and about.

"Nggghhh… I hear you, Nep…" Andrew replied. He tried to move one of his muscles, but they stuck fast. "Oh for crying out loud." he complained.

"Are you even trying?" Neptune asked playfully.

"And it looks like I'm… not?" Andrew groaned. "Ugh! I give up. My muscles are as stiff as a board." he said with an exasperated sigh.

"Well, that's not good." Neptune said, frowning. It was then that she had her serious Nep face on. "Don't worry, my lovely hubby! I'll get you up and on your feet by tomorrow! You just rest, and I'll help you, okay?" she said.

"If you say so..." Andrew replied. He just laid there as Neptune left, coming back later with pudding.

"Say 'Ah'!" Neptune cooed. Andrew opened his mouth and she stuffed pudding in there, giving him time to swallow before the next bite. This continued on for several minutes until the pudding cup was empty.

"Now, since you can't move, I'll have to help you with dressing and stuff. Bathing is a no go until you can move again, and bathroom stuff is going to be an issue." Neptune explained. Andrew sighed as he heard everything.

"And I guess Compa told you about this?" he asked.

"Yeppers. Besides, I think this might be fun!" Neptune replied. Andrew just sighed again as he stared up at the ceiling as his body healed.

"What?" Neptune asked.

"Oh, nothing. It's just a downer that I can't even protect you in my condition. Plus the fact that it seems kinda silly that our positions have been swapped, y'know? You helping me and protecting me, instead of the other way around?" Andrew explained.

"I totally understand what you're getting at." Neptune replied as she rubbed the back of her head.

"So, what about that Jacob guy from yesterday. You called him 'bro', so I'm curious. Is he really your brother?" Andrew asked.

"Why, yes indeed. He's in love with Blanc, too. The only reason you and the others haven't met him until yesterday is because I put him in stasis just before the Console War started." Neptune said, explaining everything.

"Well, that's interesting." Andrew replied with a smile.

"Heh." Neptune laughed. It wasn't long until Jacob and Blanc came over to visit. "Hey, you two." she said.

"Hey, Nep." Blanc replied.

"How's my brother-in-law doing?" Jacob asked.

"Not well, I'm afraid. He's okay, health-wise, but his muscles are as stiff as a board. Poor guy can't even move an inch." Neptune replied.

"Oh. I see. By the way, Since I never saw your wedding, who on Gamindustri did you marry?" Jacob asked.

"Didn't you see him chained to the wall yesterday?" Neptune asked.

"I mean, what's his name? What's his personality?" Jacob retorted.

"Oh. I get it. Well… His name is Andrew Hawker, and he's the sweetest guy I've ever met. He was very straightforward when he admitted his love for me at the close of the console war, and he has protected me since we got married. He's also kind and cares for everyone, sensitive to other peoples' problems and offers his help when he can, and he does what he can to keep me happy." Neptune admitted.

"And he shares her addiction for pudding, whilist picking up the slack for her whenever she feels really lazy." Blanc added. Jacob smiled because of the kind of guy his sister married.

"Almost kind of like me. What about the other goddesses?" he asked.

"Well, we met this fifth goddess named Luna, who is a really mysterious gal, Vert is still vert, and Noire is no longer Lonely Heart. She found love in this guy named Lance, who has a more moderate personality compared to Andrew, thanks to his military background." Neptune said.

"Wow. So a lot HAS changed since you put me in stasis.." Jacob replied.

"And of course, you and I are together once more, Jackey." Blanc added with a loving smile.

"Yeah. I know, Blanc." Jacob replied, sharing Blanc's happiness.

"So, now that you guys are here, is there anything I can get for you?" Neptune asked.

"Some soda would be nice." Jacob replied.

"Sounds good to me. We have a while before we have to return to Aurelius, so we can use this time for some R&R." Blanc added.

"Alrightio." Neptune shouted, going to the kitchen and grabbing some soda for the two of them.

"So, anything to talk about?" she asked as she handed them their drinks.

"Well, the enemy made another counterattack late last night while you were gone, and we lost some ground, but our troops quickly rallied and pushed them back. Thirteen men died in the attack." Blanc explained solemnley.

"Ugh! That ain't good." Neptune replied, somewhat disgusted at the report.

"Well, this is war, so it's bound to happen." Jacob replied back.

"Hey, I'm glad that we were able to spend some time here, but we really should get going." Blanc announced.

"Alright. See you later, sis." Jacob continued.

"See you, bro." Neptune replied as Jacob and Blanc left the door. She then turned around and returned to the Bedroom. "Andrew looks so cute when he's sleeping." she said playfully, giggling. Andrew smiled in reply to her comment. Neptune knelt down and lightly petted his hair, before kissing his cheek and getting in bed next to him, turning on the TV in the bedroom to keep an eye on him. What was on was a newscast on the war front.

"...the scene where the Allies have surrounded and destroyed the staging point for a large Heaven's Bane counter offensive. Losses were heavy for both sides, as at least six hundred mercenaries and five hundred Allied troops are dead. It's been made clear to us by Ms. IF, one of Lady Purple Heart's trusted generals, that the enemy is getting more and more organized, better trained, and more determined as the war drags on. We will continue to report on the war as it progresses. This is War Correspondent Dengekiko, reporting for Gamindustri World News." Dengekiko reported in front of the camera.

"Ugh, no good…" Neptune groaned as she changed the channel.

"I fear we may suffer even heavier casualties before the end of the war." Andrew concurred with concern in his voice. Neptune just looked at him worryingly, before turning back to the TV. A couple hours later, she fed Andrew again. This continued on until they went to bed, both of them sleeping quite well through the night.

The next morning, Andrew was up and about. Although quite sore, he was at least not having stiff muscles like yesterday.

"How are you feeling, hon?" Neptune asked, a smile on her face.

"Ugh… sore, really sore… but I'm not stiff anymore." Andrew described.

"Well, that's a good thing." Neptune replied, as she took a bottle of sparkly purple nail polish and applied it on his fingers.

"Is this… wise?" Andrew asked.

"Oh, stop it. I'm just having a little fun. Besides, we still have all those clothes we bought. I figured we could have some fun." Neptune said.

"You just never get tired of it, do you?" Andrew asked, a little annoyed.

Neptune giggled. "Oh you silly, silly man. They're just clothes. Who wouldn't want a girls' day out?" she teased.

"I don't know if I should be overly annoyed that you find it fun to make me embarrassed out of my nerves, or if I should be glad that you can always be there to lighten the mood." Andrew replied with a sigh.

"Come on, don't be a Tsundere. We have a whole two weeks together. Besides, you know I won't let anything happen to you." Neptune replied.

"This is getting ridiculous… very well." Andrew said as he sighed in resignation. Neptune basically jumped for joy upon hearing his response.

"Alright, then! Let me go get your outfit together!" she said gleefully, before going to the bedroom and coming back with a purple plaid miniskirt and a lavendar-ish T-Shirt, followed by black nylon socks and purple shoes. She followed with white lace-trimmed panties and a matching bra.

"Going all out…? Neptune, isn't this a bit much?" Andrew asked nervously as a fluster extended across his face..

"No, come on. We're having a girls' day out. It's going to be fun." Neptune replied soothingly as she helped him up, before leaving to give him some privacy.

After a half hour, Andrew called out to Neptune.

"Okay… I'm ready." Andrew said, his shaking voice giving away his embarrassment. Neptune walked in and practically squealed with joy.

"Aww, you look so adorable!" she cooed.

"Uh, yeah… how do girls wear these things?" Andrew asked, obviously way too embarrassed to move with the short skirt on.

"Well, just like any other skirt or dress. Come on, it's way too cute to change out of already. Let me finish you up and we can go, okay?" Neptune continued. All Andrew could do was mutter incomprehensibly. Neptune got out a makeup bag and applied light touches of blush, mascara, eye shadow, and lip gloss, before leading Andrew to a full length mirror. "Aww, such a cute girl." Neptune complimented.

Andrew looked at himself in the mirror, and indeed, he looked like a girl in her late teens or early adulthood, albeit flat chested with an obvious male hairstyle. He wasn't sure whether to smile or to collapse into a blubbering mass of embarrassment. Instead, he just stood and stared at his feminized reflection.

"What do you think?" Neptune asked, startling Andrew out of his daze.

"Um… I… I don't know... I've never seen myself as a complete girl before… it's really strange, thinking of myself as one." Andrew replied.

"Oh? Well, you're going to get a lot of that this whole day, maybe the whole week." Neptune said, her yukkuri face showing.

"Let me guess, conditioning me to be comfortable dressed up like this… maybe even like it?" Andrew asked nervously.

"You can say that. Oh, this is going to be fun!" Neptune said, obviously giddy.

"What have I gotten myself into…?" Andrew muttered.

* * *

Sora was scouting the area, keeping an eye out for enemy movement. He had seen warfare in his travels before, but nothing along the lines of this.

"Is it wise to let this kid roam around a warzone?" a UNSC marine asked.

"I know Sora. He can take care of himself. Besides, he's very skilled with a keyblade." Noire replied.

"Not to mention the fact that he has a lot of combat experience under his belt from the Console War." Cloud added. The UNSC Marine bit his lip. The thought of a kid fighting in war, even voluntarily, was completely absurd to him. The only exceptions he's made so far were Rom and Ram, who were CPU Candidates.

Sora paid no attention to the ongoing conversation behind him. He instead focused on the task that was given to him, which was to find enemy forces in preparation for the next assault. The UNSC marine he was with would then designate the targets in question for artillery strikes.

"Aside from the whole 'kid' problem, may I ask why I'm on a black operations mission more suited for an ODST?" the marine asked irritably. "I'm used to military operations, but a black ops mission is beyond my payroll." he continued.

"Because you're the closest we have to a black operations specialist. Mason and the Chief are further out, scouting their own targets, while Delta Squad and a couple ODSTs are on the Reliance preparing for their drop" Noire explained. "For a grunt, this guy sure has a whiny attitude." she thought.

Sora stopped suddenly, before pointing to a group of tanks and IFVs parked in the open, being loaded with ammunition and fuel for another counter attack. The Marine took out his laser designator and tagged the targets.

"Alpha Lima, targets tagged, sending coordinates." the marine signaled on the comms.

"Roger, Alpha Lima, shells are away. I advise you stand back." a feminine voice replied. About a couple seconds later, artillery shells screamed through the atmosphere, before hitting the ground. The shells turned the tanks and IFVs into swiss cheese before their eyes, and what vehicles weren't destroyed were now completely useless. The few mercenaries who survived jumped out of their tanks, unsure of what happened, before making a beeline to their field HQ.

"Alpha Lima, here, artillery was on target. Repeat, target destroyed." the marine confirmed.

"Roger that. We're reloading for your next call." the feminine voice replied. The group continued to their next target. On the way, though they ran into a group of mercenaries on patrol. Sora's face became quite serious as he summoned his keyblade. Before the mercs were ready, he bashed them across the face with such force that they fell to the ground, knocked out.

"Hmm… Maybe I underestimated this kid's potential…" the marine said with a smile. Sora only smiled the best he could, given the circumstances. The marine simply took the kill in the boy's stead with a silenced Magnum as Sora looked away, keeping his eyes peeled for other threats. More artillery could be heard in the distance as other targets were taken out.

"The operation is going well, it seems." Noire said.

"I hope it ends soon. Kairi, Goofy, Donald, and Riku must be worried sick about me." Sora said with an audible sigh. Noire understood his dilemma. She knew Blanc worried about her twin sisters every day.

"Another target." a marine shouted. It was a rather large encampment of troops and equipment. Again the Marine designated the target, and again, the artillery flew through the air. The mercenaries ahead of them were caught completely by surprise as they were cut down by the artillery barrage. Sora felt a pang of guilt knowing that actual people were dying under his watch. But, he knew it had to be done.

"Another target has been destroyed." the marine signaled.

"Copy that, Alpha Lima. You're cleared to return." the feminine voice replied.

"Roger. Heading back now." the marine replied. With that, the group headed back.

* * *

"So, where to first?" Neptune asked herself. A breeze kept causing Andrew's short skirt to fly up. He was obviously uncomfortable.

"Damn it, Nep, why?!" Andrew groaned as he struggled to keep his skirt down. He looked to be on the verge of tears in his embarrassment and humiliation. Neptune tried to stifle a chuckle at his expense, only taking his hand and leading him inside a shopping center.

"Hello, you two. What can I do for you?" a woman asked from behind a counter.

"Oh hey. I just brought a friend over who needs a new bikini swimsuit." Neptune replied.

"I see.* the woman said as she looked over. "Is this… her first time getting a swimsuit?" she asked.

"In a way, yes." Neptune replied with a smile. Andrew just flustered in response, very uncomfortable with how Neptune was taking this.

"Well, I can certainly see it. Go to the back and find what you'd like." the woman said with a smile. When they were some ways away from anyone, Andrew spoke up in a hushed tone.

"In all my years, I would have never anticipated this kind of torture… dammit, Neptune!" he cried.

"Oh hush, honey, you're doing fine so far." Neptune said with a smile.

"So far…" Andrew muttered.

"Hmm… let's see… Oh, this is pretty." Neptune said as she picked up a purple, lavender flower-print bikini adorned with ruffles and a skirt.

"Neptune, please… This is getting to be too much…" Andrew begged.

"Oh come on. Try it, I want to see how it fits." Neptune replied, diverting the subject. Andrew just took the swimsuit and went to the changing room nearby, coming out wearing the bikini.

"Hmm… It's… um… wow. It suits you, Andrew." Neptune said, examining her husband. All Andrew could do was mutter something incoherent, causing Neptune to giggle. "Alright, let's put the bikini in the basket and go to the intimates section." she said finally. Andrew's fluster went deeper, and he felt like his face was inside the sun by now.

They walked over to the intimate apparel section, when Neptune found some panties, some bras, and, to Andrew's dismay, a babydoll set.

"Neptune… you are enjoying this way too much!" Andrew shouted quietly.

"Oh come on, it's cute. After this nice bit of shopping, we can get a treat." Neptune replied with a smile.

"Mmmhhhh…" Andrew moaned in embarrassment. "Why do you like to torture me like this?" he asked.

"Well, it's not torture if you change your mindset about it. Think of it this way. A friendly activity that nobody but us know about, aside from the friends who know." Neptune suggested.

"I'm trying, but it's still embarrassing…" Andrew replied.

"Aw, you'll grow used to it, girlie." Neptune said. "Come here, I want to have a look with this babydoll set." she added. Andrew walked up to her and she measured the overly feminine sleepwear against him. "I see, I see now… Yes, it's perfect." she added as she put the babydoll set in the basket with the other things.

"How much more…?" Andrew asked, still blushing.

"Well, we need some socks, some shoes… a makeup bag for you… and, despite the dresses you already have, you still don't a fancy party dress. After that is a purse, some cute gloves… typical girl stuff… After all that, we can get some ice cream." Neptune listed off.

"Neptune… No more, please…" Andrew cried.

"Not a chance. Come on, let's keep going." Neptune said, leading Andrew to where the socks are. There, she picked out some ankle-length lace-trimmed socks. From there, she went to the shoes, getting some purple, heart-print tennis shoes and some sparkly purple flats. After that was the makeup bag, then the purse, and finally the fancy party dress, which was just as sparkly as the flats, with a full, knee-length taffeta skirt and built-in petticoats. Once done, they went to the checkout area and bought everything.

"Is there any other clothes you wish to get me or is your fashionistic torture done?" Andrew asked, still flustering.

"Oh, stop. Come on, let's go get ice cream!" Neptune replied. The went back out into the wind, and once again, Andrew struggled to keep his skirt down.

"Nep, I'm really getting tired of this… This wind is making things… very hard!" Andrew complained.

"Ah, the pervy, boisterous wind. It gets to even the best of us." Neptune replied.

"Couldn't you have put me in a heavier or straighter skirt? Like denim or something?" Andrew continued to complain, just barely hanging onto his sanity.

"Pfft. That wouldn't look good with the top. Besides, you've gotta get used to all the styles and such." Neptune replied.

"I hate you so much right now, Neptune…" Andrew muttered under his breath. After a while, they made it to an ice cream parlor. "FINALLY! Out of that damned wind!" Andrew said under his breath with some measure of relief.

"Alrighty… Let's get some ice cream, shall we?" Neptune asked with glee.

"Alright… It could help me get my mind off of this…" Andrew said, obviously referring to his feminine outfit. The two of them got their ice cream, before they sat down and enjoyed it.

"Mmmmhhhhh" Neptune moaned happily as she ate her ice cream.

"I have to admit, it's good ice cream…" Andrew concurred. They ate their ice cream silently for the next half hour, after which they paid for their ice cream and returned home. Thankfully, the wind died down. Andrew just sighed as he sat on the couch.

"You're not going to let me change out of this, are you?" Andrew asked.

"No. I kinda want you to get used to it. Don't worry, I'm here for you." Neptune replied with a smile. Neither of them noticed the mass of orange hair with two red beads walking in.

"Why is Andrew dressed so girly?!" Peashy asked, laughing up a storm.

"It's Nep's idea." Andrew answered, flustering.

"Neptuna? Why did you dress him up so girly?" Peashy asked with curiosity.

"Well, it's quite fun. Plus, he's going to get used to it. Aren't you, sweetheart?" Neptune replied, turning to Andrew.

"Yes, yes." Andrew said back, still flustering. Peashy smiled in response.

"He's so cute!" she chirped. Neptune giggled.

"I know, right?" Neptune agreed.

"Will you two please stop? This isn't helping." Andrew cried. Neptune looked at him and frowned, before wrapping her arms around him.

"Calm down, Honey. I'm right here…" she said soothingly, calming her feminized husband down a lot.

Andrew sighs, saying nothing.

"I wanna play!" Peashy yelled.

"Okay, what would you like to play?" Neptune asked.

"Hmm… um… how about… how about… I… ugh, I forgot what I wanted to play…" Peashy complained, not coming up with any ideas.

"How about tag?" Neptune asked.

"No, we played that the last time…" Peashy replied with an irritated look.

"Why not dress-up?" Ram said as she walked in.

"When did you get here?" Andrew asked, completely shocked.

"Just a couple minutes ago… oh my…" Blanc said as she walked in, seeing Andrew in his girly outfit.

"Please don't get the wrong idea, Blanc." Andrew pleaded.

"Andrew, what the hell?" Jacob asked, looking absolutely irate.

"It's not my idea, I swear!" Andrew pleaded.

"Oh, really?! And I suppose that the man my sister married was a complete-" Jacob said, before getting interrupted.

"Stop it bro!" Neptune snapped.

"Sis? You're defending his-" Jacob asked, still irate.

"It was my idea, okay?! He and I are just having a little fun!" Neptune said.

"Actually… I think he looks kind of cute." Blanc said with a smile.

"'Cute'? It's absurd! It's insane!" Jacob continued to say.

"Shut the hell up already!" Blanc shouted.

"B-Blanc?" Jacob stammered, unsure of what happened. Blanc sighed, regaining her composure.

"Look, as a CPU, you're supposed to understand and promote what make the people happy, on top of protecting them. Can you please try to understand? It's obviously a game between them, and you have no business butting in on their decisions. Yes, you can provide friendly, brotherly advice, but beyond that, what they do in their free time is ultimately up to them." Blanc explained sternly.

Jacob just sighed. "Once again, I have to agree. I see I still have some things I need to work on." he said. Blanc smiled.

"Well, you're getting much better at it. Oh, since you think it's so otherworldly that a wife can dress her husband up like a girl from time to time for a bit of fun, maybe I should try it on you so you can get the picture." Blanc said snidely.

"Please no!" Jacob said, his face white.

"Blanc, you need to get some ice for that burn." Neptune commented.

"Glad to see that you were amused at it." Blanc said with a smile.

Peashy just looked on, laughing.

"Such a giggly girl, ey P-ko?" Neptune stated with a bright smile.

"It seems like it." Rom said.

"Let's play dressup okay, Peash?" Ram asked.

"Yeah! Jacob, come join us!" Peashy insisted. Jacob just froze.

"Oh, come on, Jacky, you're a brave man. Try something new for once." Blanc suggested as she almost literally shoved the stiff mass of frozen Jacob into the next room in a rather comical scene. After the door closes, she returned to the living room with Andrew and Neptune.

"Was any of that really necessary?" Andrew asked, adjusting his position and his skirt.

"No, but it happened anyway." Blanc replied.

"Well, uh… since you're back and all, anything?" Neptune asked

"Yeah, actually… we've got the week off. Can I get a cold soda?" Blanc asked. Neptune got up and got a cold soda for everyone.

"So, Andrew, how does a mini skirt feel?" Blanc asked.

"Mortifying… This particular one kept flying up in the wind today." Andrew explained.

"Well you know now how we girls feel. The price of beauty, unfortunately." Blanc said. Andrew just sighed. The next half hour was taken with some regular talk. It was then that a feminized Jacob walked out, wearing a white, snowflake-print, knee-length dress and a pale blue cardigan, complete with blue flats and a white purse.

"Why me?" Jacob asked, completely embarrassed.

"Aw, you look pretty though. Come on. It's going to be nothing but girl talk from here on out." Ram said happily as Jacob stood there. When Blanc saw him, she basically burst out of her chair and started kissing him like mad.

"MMMHH MHHH! BHLLNNNK!" Jacob shouted in complete surprise, his voice muffled as Blanc kept kissing him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Jacky. You look so cute and sexy, I just can't help it!" Blanc exclaimed, before hugging him.

"Wow…" Andrew said, looking on.

"Let's go shopping and get you your own girly wardrobe, shall we Jacky?" Blanc asked lovingly.

"U-hh I-I… You… We… It…" Jacob stammered, unable to think of anything to say. He eventually sighed. "Okay." he said.

"So cute." Neptune chirped.

"I had so much fun." Peashy said.

"So did I. Who knew dressing up my future brother-in-law would be so fun?" Rom concurred. Andrew just sat there, unsure of what happens next.

"So, about that little girl talk?" Ram asked.

"I'm… not sure I'm any good at that…" Andrew responded.

"Well, you can forget about it… Jacky and I are going shopping. I've gotta get him a couple things." Blanc said as she took her feminized lover by the hand and led him to the elevator.

* * *

Noire paced up and down the room, IF and Titus in there as well. The grand room had been converted into a war room, Vitoze being turned into a temporary headquarters for the duration of the war.

"I don't know what to do, Lady Black Heart. We've made the preparations, but something just doesn't feel right…" Titus said.

"He's got a point, I'm afraid. The enemy has made no communications, despite the hard hits…" IF added.

"Sounds to me like they're setting a trap…" Noire said. It was then that a scout ran in.

"Lady Black Heart, enemy movement. They're amassing outside the killzone from the previous rescue op." the scout said.

"Then it's time… If we don't strike now, they might overwhelm us." Titus said, his face as pale as snow.

"Alright. IF, assemble the forces. I have to get in contact with Histoire and the others." Noire said. IF nodded and went to do so.

Noire ran out and got to Histoire, who was chatting with chatting with Vert, Lord Admiral Hood, and Maddox. "Sorry to interrupt, but we have to advance our timetable to, like, right now." she explained.

"But why? Why so urgent when we haven't had the time to-" Histoire asked, only to be interrupted.

"The enemy is assembling their forces outside our lines. If we don't strike now, they will drive a wedge right into our front line and cripple our assault forces." Noire explained.

"On such short notice… just what is Jose trying to do?" Maddox asked.

"Looks like he's trying to initiate a blitzkrieg while our pants are down. IF's observation is more true than I could have ever thought." Admiral Hood mused.

"Contact your forces. It's time for the next phase." Histoire said.

* * *

"Alright, people, listen up!" Avery Johnson said as he walked around the prep room on the UNSC Reliance. "The enemy is making preparations to drive a wedge through our combined forces' front lines! But we're not letting it happen! Lady Black Heart, General IF, Maddox, Commander Histoire, and even Lord Admiral Hood, have agreed unanimously to push forth an order for immediate deployment! Sixty percent of our fighting force will be devoted to the push. The battle plan, as put forth by the Allied Forces' generals, is to move as far as the town of Santa Elva." he continued.

"But Santa Elva is six hundred miles away from our front lines, Sarge. That'll take at least a week to reach and take!" an Aurelian countered.

"That's likely to outstretch our supply lines if we're not careful." Fixer added.

"I know, I know. We're airlifting supplies and munitions to the front lines, as well as taking stock of captured supplies." Johnson added.

"None of that will matter, though. The enemy is going to be all over! We're going to take heavy losses!" an ODST countered.

"You'll get your action, yes. We're going to soften them up with air and MAC strikes along their lines, so don't worry." Johnson countered back. No further questions were raised. It was then the alarm started ringing.

"Looks like it's time for the drop." Boss said, as he looked to the door.

"Right behind you, boss." Scorch concurred.

* * *

"Come on! Let's move! The enemy is right in front, and we're not going to let them grind us in!" Avan said to the men behind him. Afterwards, a loud war cry was heard as they ran onto the battlefield. Above him, F/A 38s, P-201 Sparrows, and other aircraft flew in, dropping anti-personnel ordinance, anti-tank missiles, and cannon and laser fire. Higher above them, the glow of MAC rounds and Orbital Drop Pods raced towards the ground, smashing holes in the enemy lines.

"Great! Just what we're hoping for!" Luna said with joy as the enemy started to falter.

"Enemy fighters, inbound!" Amethyst 1 announced on the radio.

"There's only six of them. This'll be easy!" Gryphus 1 shouted.

"That's what scares me…" Mishka added. Just as he said those words, about five hundred enemy fighters decloaked in midair.

"Shit! What the hell!" Amethyst 2 cried.

"It's a trap! We've flown right into it!" Reaper shouted.

"Where did all these numbers come from?!" Noire asked in shock.

"Let's fight back! Follow my lead!" Blaze shouted. The pilots quickly changed their tactics to account for the enemy forces. The scene quickly became an all out brawl in the air, looking like the Marianas Turkey Shoot. For every allied plane that fell, the allied forces took down six. It was a matter of time before the allied air forces were reinforced, and they won the battle.

"This is getting almost too easy…" Avan said, as he kept fire up on the enemy force ahead of him with his M8-C assault rifle. With the combined force, they ultimately pushed forward. In the span of six hours, they were at least 60 miles ahead from where they started.

* * *

Blanc and a feminized Jacob return from their shopping spree, a smile on each other's faces.

"Have fun there, girls?" Neptune asked.

"Yeah. Who knew being a girl for a day could be fun?" Jacob said. He was clearly blushing, still not used to wearing a dress and all. He was also half lying. He wouldn't admit it, but he was still uncomfortable.

"Well… uh..." Andrew started, before he yawned.

"Tired, girlie?" Neptune asked.

"Yeah… It's late…" Andrew replied.

"Well it's the perfect time for you to try on the babydoll, then." Neptune said with a smile. Ram looked at her like she was nuts.

"You got him lingerie?" she asked, before laughing up a storm. Andrew's face went beet red.

"I seriously don't think I'll ever get used to this… Wearing a skirt or a dress is one thing, but lingerie…" he said to himself.

"Well, we're getting tired too. Compared to you, Neptune, I got him a nightdress." Blanc said with a smile.

"Blaah, I don't want to go to... ugh, whatever. I'm falling asleep." Peashy said, before going to bed herself.

"See you all in the morning." Andrew said as he got up, feeling the short skirt wrap around his legs. He and Neptune went to their bedroom, before closing the door behind them.

"Alright." Neptune said as she pulled out the babydoll. Andrew just sighs as he looks at it. He just takes the item and goes to change into it. After a little bit, he comes back out, flustering hard once again.

"Aww, so cute." Neptune cooed.

"Please stop!" Andrew shouted.

"Woah…" Neptune said, a little startled.

"Nep, I'm tired of you doing this to me. I gladly do it for you, but clearly you're taking it too far, too fast!" Andrew said, almost on the brink of tears.

"Andrew… what's gotten into you?" Neptune asked.

"I'm… I'm scared, Neptune. I'm scared of losing you again, I'm scared of you dying without me to be there to save you… I'm scared…" Andrew explained. His words made Neptune lighten up.

she thought. She then crawled up to him and hugged him.

"If you want me to slow down on this, just ask. Besides, we've gotta protect each other, and it just wouldn't do for us to freak out." Neptune said.

"Okay… We should set some boundaries…" Andrew said.

"Okay." Neptune replied. After that, they went to bed.

Morning came, and Andrew changed into a masculine outfit.

"Good morning, Andrew." Neptune said tiredly as she stretched her limbs.

"How are you, Nep?" Andrew asked her.

"Good-ish." Neptune replied truthfully.

"Well, hopefully it gets better." Andrew said, trying to cheer her up.

"Hopefully." Neptune said with a smile.

* * *

Konata and Kagami were talking with Uni and Nepgear at camp. The roar of jet engines and the crack of gunfire made a noise that sounded like distant thunder.

"So, what have we got in store today?" Konata asked.

"Not good, I'm afraid. The enemy is moving to halt our advance to Santa Elva. We've got at least two smaller towns under our control, but they keep reorganizing and learning from our successes." Uni explained.

"I'm glad I asked Tsukasa to drop her combat role… I'm worried of what psychological damage this war could have on her…" Kagami announced with a sigh. It was then that a UEF communications officer ran in.

"We have orders from Joint Allied Command to move. The enemy is entrenched six miles northwest of our current position. Tanks, infantry, and artillery." the officer reported.

"Our commandos?" Nepgear asked.

"Busy providing fire missions for the Reliance's MAC guns and our artillery." the officer replied.

"They just never seem to give us a break…!" Uni shouted under her breath.

"Let's just get this over with. Get what forces you can in position for a priority assault. We'll lead the way." Kagami ordered.

"Yes, ma'am." the officer replied, before giving a salute.

* * *

A moderate force of troops, tanks and mechs were being led to their objective by Mason and Lucas. It seemed like an easy push.

"All seems quiet on the western front" a Leanbox soldier joked, noticing the lack of enemy movement.

"Yeah… I don't like this…" an Aurelian replied.

"Section, are you picking up anything?" Lucas asked as he looked around.

"No… that's what scares me…" Mason said quietly. It was then that the scream of artillery cut the silence.

"INCOMING! ARTILLERY!" a soldier shouted. The group moved away, but the tanks that were with them were torn to shreds. Following the artillery strike, a loud cry of mercenaries split the formerly serene atmosphere.

"They're charging! It's an ambush!" the Leanbox soldier announced.

"Hit the dirt and start firing!" Mason ordered. By instinct, every soldier did as ordered and started cutting down the enemy forces with laser and gunfire. Astonishingly, not a single soul was lost in the attack. Without a word, they just continued on to their objective.

"Gah! Dammit, we're pinned down!" a UEF soldier shouted. He and several soldiers were being cut up by enemy machine gun fire.

"We're getting overwhelmed here! Fall back!" a Planeptunian lieutenant ordered. On his word, the allied troops on his side of the front began to pull back from the line of fire.

"This is Goblin, we're pinned down by enemy heavy machine gun fire! Requesting immediate support!" the UEF soldier shouted on the radio.

"Goblin, this is Daggar Flight, we're en route. Stand by for the fireworks. Over and out" a UNSC pilot said calmly. Two minutes later, a flight of Broadsword fighters flew over, dropping bombs on the enemy troops.

"Airstrike on target, Daggar Flight!" the UEF soldier commented. The Broadswords then climbed fast, leaving the atmosphere for the Reliance's hangar bay.

"The UNSC just blew a hole right into their lines! All forces, move forward!" the Planeptunian lieutenant ordered. The troops doubled back and advanced forward to the objective, supported by light and heavy armor.

* * *

"UNSC AI Cortana to all allied forces. Be alert for enemy forces advancing along Argon Canyon." Cortana announced.

"Roger, Cortana." Bishop replied, flying his R-99 in a tight turn.

"Just like old times, eh Colonel?" Guts asked.

"Indeed. Let's do this!" Bishop replied quickly as he turned to engage an enemy fighter that passed by him at high speed.

"Razor, be alert! Enemy interceptors are in the air!" Reaper announced.

"Understood. Keep an eye out while we make our runs." Janice replied, as she carefully maneuvered the Lastation B-52 on a bombing run against enemy forces.

"Target ahead, opening bomb bay doors." Janice's copilot announced. The seconds ticked by as the battle raged below them.

"Bombs away!" Janice called out. Five hundred pound bombs fell from the old bomber, making craters out of Jose's forces.

"Bombs were on target, Razor! Good work!" Zeri commented over the radio.

* * *

"Aw, Girly Andrew looked so cute." Rom complained. Andrew just sighed in response, while he and Neptune cuddled with each other on the couch. They just sat there in silence, watching TV. Jacob was with Blanc, and he was still dressed somewhat girly. He had fallen asleep on Blanc's shoulder, however. A minute later, the TV program was interrupted by a news report.

"This is War Correspondents Dengekiko and Famitsu, reporting live from the front lines! A large assembly of Jose's mercenary forces has prompted a major allied assault within the past few days! You could hear the screams of the men behind me as they lay down fire on the enemy ahead!" Dengekiko shouted into the microphone. She was then interrupted by a UNSC sergeant yelling to get down. Following that, the allied lines were riddled with falling artillery shells. The enemy artillery strike was short lived, and much of the men got back up unhindered.

"That was an artillery strike that just hit us! The enemy is learning from each victory we achieve and making it harder for us to advance!" Dengekiko continued, before looking behind her. She then looked back at the camera. "The enemy is making another counter charge, we've got to go. This is War Correspondents Dengekiko and Famitsu, reporting for Gamindustri World News, over and out." Dengekiko finished, in a rushed attempt to cut the transmission before she could become a sitting duck. After that, the screen returned to the original program.

"Sounds like things are getting worse…" Ram commented.

"Agreed. We have to go back, soon." Blanc concurred. It was then that Jacob woke up. "Get yourself changed, Jacky. We've gotta go back to Aurelius sooner than we planned." she added.

"Alright." Jacob said, before he got up and went to change back into his normal attire.

"Wow… I feel really bad for our men…" Neptune said with shock.

"Yeah… Our leave may get cut short as well…" Andrew added.

"Bummer… and I was just getting into the nice break." Neptune replied with a sigh. As Jacob returned, Histoire contacted them on Andrew's N-Gear.

"Everybody, I have some bad news. Our forces are doing all they can, but they need support. I have no choice but to cut your breaks short. We need you back immediately." Histoire said with a sigh. Neptune sighed as well, in reply.

"Alright, we're on our way." Andrew said. Histoire nodded, before the link closed.

END OF CHAPTER 7 OF "THE NEPTUNIA CHRONICLES"

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES-

This particular chapter was becoming quite a bitch to finish, so I had to cut it short. The reasons being college, final exams, writer's block, and general laziness. Anyways, it's here. If there's something that can be changed, let me know. Your opinion matters!

Yes, Sora makes an appearance as he did in Re;Birth 1.5 Remix.

The uncloaking of fighter planes in mid flight was a reference to Laesath's advanced prototype fighter aircraft, Fenrir, which was fitted with an Optical Stealth System and a Microwave weapon.

Yes, once more, crossdressing-related torture has been used as a plotpoint for comic relief purposes. And Andrew, for the first time, is NOT the only victim :D

Dengekiko and Famitsu, for those who are unaware, are reporters and correspondents in the PC and PS Vita game Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed. Given that, and their willingness to risk their lives to get the latest scoop throughout the game, I thought it fair to include them as war correspondents.

Looks like that's it! Have a good day, and keep on Nepping!


	8. Darkness Unleashed

The Neptunia Chronicles

Darkness Unleashed

Andrew and Neptune, as well as Jacob, Blanc, Rom, and Ram, flew back to the front lines in HDD. It took them a while, but after seven hours nonstop, they land in Vitoze, before leaving HDD. Histoire and Luna were waiting for them.

"Glad to have you guys back. How are you feeling, Andrew?" Luna asked.

"Still sore… not as much as yesterday, though…" Andrew replied. Luna then used her healing powers on him, and before long, his pain and soreness were gone.

"Better?" Luna asked with a smile.

"Yeah. Thanks for that, Luna." Andrew replied, also smiling.

"Well, we need you all to go to the front lines. Our men and women need your support." Histoire announced.

"Won't Andrew and I be easy pickings?" Neptune asked, a little worried.

"No. Not as long as long as you remain vigilant and have men watching over you." Luna said.

"Okay." Jacob said.

"I should be going back to the front as well." Luna announced.

"Now that I think about it… weren't you still at the front one chapter ago?" Neptune asked, once again shattering the Fourth Wall. Luna thought about Neptune's question.

"You know what, you're right. There's a bit of a plot hole there." Luna replied.

"Are we done yet?" Jacob asked, slightly annoyed.

"Oh, sorry. You're right. Let's all get going." Luna said, realizing that the plot of this story was being held up. With that, they all flew out for the front lines.

* * *

Jose was in Aurelius's Basilicom with his generals, listening to the comms at what was going on, his frustration building every second.

"Damn it! How can my own empire fall apart like this?!" he shouted when his frustration came to a head.

"I am not sure, sir. Every tactic, every strategy, they seem to counter. It's maddening." Greg replied.

"I can't afford to lose this war. My interests depend too much on victory." Jose said in rage.

"Sir, we may be already looking at a lost war, here. If you have any tricks left, I'd suggest using them now." Greg suggested. Jose thought for a moment.

"That amulet…" Jose muttered.

"Excuse me?" Greg asked, trying to get clarification.

"That amulet I got from that CPU." Jose replied.

"But sir! That's a CPU weapon! Are you sure you wish to associate with that filth?" Greg asked in complete surprise.

"It might be the only way I can turn the tide of war back in our favor. He did say it was a weapon of great power, after all." Jose replied. It was then that they both smirked.

"I'll get a squad of my best men to support you, sir." Greg said.

* * *

Ludwig Schneider, now a Lieutenant General in the Free Aurelian Army, was working with Maddox and Hood. They were looking at a screen that was providing a satellite feed of the battlefield. As distrusting as his colleagues in the allied command structure were, he nonetheless provided his honest input, helping to keep the men alive. He watched as Infinity Squadron cleaned up a flight of Su-25s that were on course to drop their bombs on the front lines, right on top of Zeri's detachment.

"The battle is going well, but we're taking heavy losses." Maddox reported. He looked outside at his ACU, which was undergoing repairs after an RPG knocked out its right leg days before when the enemy made their counterattack. The few UEF technicians he brought were killed that day, and thus the repair effort was lagging behind. Ludwig took a close look at the screen and noticed a major mistake in the enemy lines.

"Maddox, Tell the Lastation Third Armored Battalion to force their way through that gap." Ludwig suggested. Maddox took a hard look at what he was talking about and, with a confident smirk, nodded in agreement. He then picked up a radio and talked to the leader of the battalion.

"This is Commander Maddox with command, I've got a golden opportunity for you guys. The enemy has left a wide gap in their lines, now's the time to force your way through and crush them." Maddox said.

"Roger that, commander." the leader of the Lastation Third Armored Battalion replied in earnest.

* * *

The Schwarzkopf main battle tanks of the Lastation Third Armored Battalion began their lightning fast assault on the enemy, driving a wedge through the gap in the Heaven's Bane front lines. The resulting destruction was explosive, as the enemy troops, technicals, and armored units fell rapidly in the assault. One enemy tank, a T-72, accidentally turned on one of their comrades in the chaos, blowing the top off a nearby T-90 with a misplaced shot before being destroyed themselves. With every second and every shot, the enemy lines were pushed back, farther and farther towards the city of Santa Elva.

"YEEEEAAAAAAAAAHOOOOO!" a Lastation tank commander shouted as they pushed their way through the enemy lines.

"The enemy forces are faltering! Move up!" Avan ordered on the radio.

"MAC rounds are coming in! Look at them all scatter!" an allied soldier shouted.

"Their forces are a complete mess! They don't know who to shoot at!" Amethyst 1 shouted as he continued CAS over the battlefield.

"Then let's finish this before they regain their foothold!" Noire commanded.

"Roger that! All forces, continue advancing! Don't stop until you reach the objective!" IF ordered. On their command, the Allied forces continued to push through, shooting the enemy before they can take a shot at them. With no cohesion left, Heaven's Bane forces began to make a retreat for various locations around Aurelius.

"We've got 'em on the run!" a UNSC marine shouted with joy.

"This battle is over! Onward to Santa Elva!" a Planeptunian commander shouted. He then turned around to see Neptune and her husband in HDD, saluting the two of them as they landed.

"What's the situation, commander?" Neptune asked, still in HDD.

"The enemy force has lost all cohesion here, milady, They've begun to retreat." the commander replied. Neptune and Andrew looked at each other in complete shock, before smiling.

"Then it seems we're closer to winning this war. Keep the pressure on them and don't give up hope." Andrew commented. The commander nodded in reply. It was then that a Planeptunian tank rolled up behind them. The commander popped his head out, calling to them.

"Oi! Lady Purple Heart! Sir Purple Shield! Need a lift?!" he asked. Neptune and Andrew nodded before leaving HDD and getting into the back with the men and women.

* * *

"What the hell happened?!" Greg asked as an aide walked in the war room.

"We had a gap in our front lines… sir. The one in command of that detachment is on his way to the field HQ." the aide responded, fearing the consequences.

"I'll handle this myself." Jose answered quite angrily as he walked out of the room, the amulet glowing red in his fist.

* * *

David Mason was with Delta Squad on another side of the battlefield, following the now rapid advance of the allied forces closely. After hearing what had happened,he had high hopes for the end of the war. It was only a moment later that the Chief showed up with the Arbiter, both of whom were out of breath.

"This war certainly had many surprises for us…" Mason muttered.

"Yeah. I'm certain the goddesses are overjoyed." the Arbiter responded. Though he had no human features to make a smile or a grin, or any emotional face for that matter, everyone could tell to some degree that the Sanghelli said his piece rather happily.

"There's still a long road ahead of us. We should conserve our strength." Boss said, taking off the helmet of his Katarn Armor and wiping sweat off his face.

"Cortana to Histoire. Our forces are advancing rapidly. Care to give us a lift?" Cortana announced over the comms.

"You've got one on the way. Hold tight." Histoire reported. A few minutes later, as if on cue, a rather large transport vehicle came into view. The Chief instantly recognized it as an M510 Mammoth siegeworks ultra heavy vehicle.

"Woah… that thing is massive! On par with the AT-TEs we're used to seeing!" Scorch commented.

"It's a heavily armored and armed ultra heavy vehicle, of the kind we call a "Mammoth"." Cortana stated,

"You boys getting in or what?" a recognizable voice shouted.

"Sergeant Johnson!" the Chief shouted. Johnson simply smiled at the sight of his old friend, as well as his new friends. Everyone got onto the Mammoth and took a seat. With a rumble, the massive vehicle started to move again at a constant speed.

* * *

It had been several days since the battle first began, and the allied forces had already reached as far as the outskirts of Santa Elva. Many troops awaited airdrops and pod drops of much needed supplies, while Neptune and Andrew talked with Titus and Luna about the coming battle. Histoire was with them, taking in the information.

"There's many buildings around… narrow streets and alleyways… plenty of places to hide for an ambush." Andrew said drearily as he looked at schematics of the city.

"Yep… going to be one heck of a fight… We attack at first light." Luna said. It was then that Solid Snake decloaked right behind Neptune.

"AAYEEEP!" she screeched.

"Snake!" Andrew and Histoire both shouted rather irritably. Hearing that single word made Neptune calm down quite a bit.

"Sheesh, don't scare me like that!" Neptune groaned.

"Sorry. Couldn't be helped." Snake replied.

"What's the status, Snake?" Titus asked.

"Many civvies still inside the city. By the looks of it, Heaven's Bane mercenaries intend to use them as a shield when we try to liberate it." Snake reported. Andrew just shook his head in disbelief.

"That just makes our job THAT much harder…" Andrew finally said.

* * *

Several hours have passed on the outskirts of the city, and a plan has been formulated. The troops are in position waiting for their orders.

"Alrighty, 'gents. This is our final push into Santa Elva." Sergeant Johnson began. There was a brief pause before he continued. "I'll tell you this, it's looking grim right now. Many civilians are still inside the city, and are being used as human shields for the Heaven's Bane occupation force within. The odds aren't good, and we know that we can't save everyone." Everyone's faces went white at the sound of this development.

"What gives?!" a marine shouted.

"These mercenaries have no morals, no ethics! They're only in it for the money!" another shouted.

"So what's the plan?" Kelly-87 asked.

"The plan is to force our way into the city and crush the enemy, while saving as many civilians as we can. SPARTAN Blue team and the UNSC Reliance's ranger complement will descend first, and ODST and commando forces will be deployed on the opposite side of town. You will receive no MAC support for this mission, as there's too much possibility of collateral damage and civilian death, so your support will consist only of precision airstrikes from attacker aircraft, Pelican gunships and attack helicopters." Sargent Johnson explained further. He was about to add something when the alert flashed on the SPARTANs' HUDs, signifying the deployment order.

"Let's get this done!" Frederick shouted as he boarded the back of a Thunderhead MBT.

* * *

The skies around Santa Elva became littered with various transports, most notably Pelican dropships, MH-60 Blackhawks, and C-17 Globemaster III's as they airdropped troops, vehicles and supplies into the city. The scene looked almost like something out of World in Conflict as the Allied Forces began their final push through the city, supported by precision strikes by allied air forces, some sporting A-10 Thunderbolt II's and A-20 Razorbacks in Lastation colors as they attacked the enemy force with AGMs and 30mm cannons. The streets became cluttered with tanks soon after.

"This is the Sergeant Collins with the Planeptune 130th Infantry Battalion! We've entered the city limits! Our ultimate objective is to link up with the Lastation 3rd Armored Battalion and liberate City Hall. We request consistent air support from our angels overhead!" an infantry commander shouted over the comms as he and the forces he was leading moved forward through the city. Ahead of them, Thunderhead tanks slowly moved forward, ready to deposit their troop load and munitions on the surprised and jumpy Heaven's Bane occupants. The roar of jet engines slowly started to die off, leaving the city eerily quiet, except for the squeaking and trembling of the tank treads as they rolled through the city streets.

"Shit! RPG!" one of the soldiers shouted as a rocket-propelled grenade was fired from the smashed window of a nearby skyscraper. It smashed head-on into a Thunderhead tank, killing the occupants inside. What followed was a loud, thunderous crack from a sniper rifle, and everyone scrambled to find cover.

"UGH! I HATE URBAN WARFARE!" a soldier groaned as he leaned on the entry to a building.

"Someone take out that sniper and RPG! We need to secure that building!" Collins ordered. One of his men brought a .50 cal sniper rifle to bear on the opposing sniper.

"There you are, you little weasel!" the soldier muttered, before he took the shot. Through his scope, he could see that the sniper plopped onto the floor. He pulled the lever and ejected the spent round, loading a new one as he did. Through his scope, the enemy with the RPG readied his weapon, but before he could fire on another tank, another sniper round brought him to the floor, dead. "Hostiles eliminated." he said as he once again pulled the lever on his sniper rifle.

"Right! Move into that building!" Sergeant Collins ordered. Several troops broke off and moved into the building, fighting their way to the top. What they saw at the top disheartened many of them.

"Slaves?" one of the soldiers asked, his arms shaking. Before them were some of the slaves that they were looking for from the old slave market that was destroyed weeks ago. Their buyer turned around and saw the Planeptunian soldiers, who instantly brought their pulse laser rifles to bear on him.

"It's over, freak! We're modifying the deal! Surrender and let them go, or face swift justice!" another soldier spat, clearly pissed off, his words sending chills down their new prisoner's spine as he slowly lifted his hands in the air. He went to unlock the cages, but instead brought in a 9mm pistol to one of the soldiers.

"Big mistake!" the soldier shouted, before ending the man's life with a shot to the face. "You two, open those cages and let them out. We'll make sure they find some help." he ordered. Two soldiers nodded and went to work on the locks and got the cages open in no time.

* * *

"Sergeant Collins, this is IF. What's your status?" IF called on the comms.

"IF, My men have just secured a skyscraper, and they've found and freed a couple of slaves from the slave market. We're going to hand them over to Lady Azure Heart and make sure they get the help they need." Collins responded with haste.

"Copy that. Be advised, Lastation's satellite network has picked up a couple fast movers heading in your direction. Looks to be a pair of Hinds." IF reported. Collins dropped his hand off the comms.

"Shit…" he finally muttered.

"What's the deal, Sarge? How do we handle a pair of helos?" a Planeptunian soldier in Collins's unit asked. Another one came up with a bold plan.

"Sir, if I may… I propose we turn the railguns on the Thunderheads into an anti-aircraft weapon. The turrets can still track fast enough, and the high velocity slugs should be enough to bring them down." he suggested. Collins thought it up. A smirk rose on his face.

"That's just mad enough to work, lieutenant! Yo, tank commander! When those enemy birds show up, I want you to blast them out of the sky with your railguns, you hear me?" he commanded.

"Copy that, Sergeant!" a tank commander replied. The noise of the two Hinds was faint, but grew louder. Suddenly, they appeared from behind a building, and tried to get a bead on the allied forces. That's when the Thunderhead MBTs fired their railguns at the enemy attack helicopters, the high velocity slugs blasting them out of the sky. The first one exploded right then and there, but the second one went in on autorotation and hit the ground almost spotless with a low metallic thud. The mercenaries occupying the helicopter jumped out and tried to fight back against the allied front lines, but were just too undermanned. The Planeptunians cheered as the last mercenary fell.

"Onward! Onward!" Collins called as they continued their advance towards City Hall, almost unhindered.

* * *

Noire was leading her own charge against the enemy alongside Cloud and Uni, slicing a mech apart with Lace Ribbons. Uni gunned down a line of enemies with her machine gun. Like an unstoppable wave, they advanced towards their objective, the radio station. It was a scene from the final days of the attack on Berlin in 1945, as the enemy put up fierce resistance to this portion of the assault as they were slowly boxed in by the main force on this side and commandos and ODSTs on the other. For the clusterfuck this war had become, and for how hopelessly outnumbered Jose's forces are, the CPU of Lastation had to give these men some credit. They fought against the odds fairly well.

"Lady Noire, enemy reinforcements are coming in from other parts of the city. It looks like they want to hold the radio station at all costs. It could be where the occupying force's general is holed up in." Maddox reported on the comms. Noire heard it well and pressed her attack harder. The Loweean and Lastation forces followed her without wavering, knowing that their goddess was with them every step of the way. Blanc flew in from the sky and threw her axe into an enemy tank, turning it into a flaming wreck. Jacob followed suit with his own attack, bisecting an IFV.

"They don't stop attacking… This is making me break a sweat…" Blanc shouted as she impaled a mercenary with the blunt edge of her axe.

"I think I'm going to come out of this one minus about six or seven pounds. What a workout." Noire replied.

"BLANC! BEHIND YOU!" Jacob shouted. Blanc spun around and chopped a mercenary armed with a vibroblade clean in half.

"Thanks for the warning, Jacob!" she replied, before burying her axe into the face of another foe. The minutes ticked by, until they came to a stop at a pillbox just outside the radio station. "Damn it! Can this shit get any more believable?!" she yelled.

"Noire to allied aircraft, my forces and I are being pinned down by a pillbox outside the radio station, we need immediate assistance! Authorization Override: Alpha Whiskey Zero Niner Xray!" Noire called out.

"Copy that, Lady Black Heart. Air support is on the way, ETA thirty seconds. You might want to stand back." a pilot replied. Thirty seconds later, an A-10 Thunderbolt II flew past, firing precision air to ground missiles at the pillbox. The missiles struck home and it went up in a fireball, leaving nothing but a pile of rubble.

"Airstrike was on target, thanks for the assist!" Noire called out. She motioned for the men following her to press on into the radio station. They fought hard, and took the building room by room, very few mercenaries surrendering or changing sides. Finally, they got to the enemy general's makeshift office. As his bodyguards attempted to fire at the allied forces, they were quickly gunned down. With little options left, the enemy general surrendered, being taken into custody by by a couple Lastation soldiers.

* * *

"This is Noire, my forces and I have taken the radio station." Noire called out on the comms. The Planeptunians under Collins's command all cheered. It was clear sailing, however, towards city hall, but this development has boosted the morale of the allied forces. For Sergeant Collins, the news was bittersweet, as the enemy in his direct path were nowhere to be found. They just kept marching on to city hall unchallenged. It was a long and boring march, but they soon arrived to find it empty, and the Lastation 3rd Armored Battalion had arrived a little early. Little did they know, they were about to be in for a heck of a firefight, as around the corners, the enemy lurked.

"Collins here. We've arrived at City Hall. Sector is clear." Collins announced.

"GET DOWN!" a soldier shouted, as an RPG flew into a Schwarzkopf MBT, followed by loud, thunderous cracks of machinegun fire.

"NOT CLEAR! NOT CLEAR!" Collins rectified. He ducked behind the fountain. "Return fire!" he shouted as he brought his Pulse Laser Rifle to bare against the marauding mercenary forces. Laser and gunfire lanced forward back towards the enemy, and the battle quickly turned into a violent event for both sides.

"We're getting overwhelmed! For the love of all that is decent, do something, Sarge!" a Planeptunian soldier shouted as he maintained his fire. Another RPG flew into another Schwarzkopf, and it, too, turned into a mangled wreck.

"We've got to get back control, or this will be our last stand, Sergeant!" yet another Planeptunian shouted. Collins scanned the chaos in front of him, and it was hectic.

"Collins to command! We've been boxed in! Enemy forces were lying in wait around City Hall! We're trapped! What can you see from orbit?!" he called out.

"This is IF. It's not looking good, I'm afraid. The mercenary forces sent to reinforce the radio station have been sent your way, they'll be on top of you in five minutes. I'm diverting a Helo unit to back you up, expect them in ten minutes." IF replied.

"WE DON'T HAVE TEN MINUTES! YOU TELL THAT PILOT TO HURRY UP OR HE'S GOING TO BE SAVING A BUNCH OF CORPSES AND SMOLDERING WRECKAGE!" Collins shouted.

"I understand. Stand by, I'm detailing some A-10s to give you rocket support. ETA will be seven minutes." IF replied, before cutting the comms.

"DAMMIT!" Collins shouted as he threw his fist into the fountain.

"One dead RPG maniac, coming right up!" a Planeptunian soldier shouted, before pulling the trigger on his .50 cal sniper rifle. A loud, thunderous crack, and the mercenary with the RPG fell to the ground. It put a stop to the enemy forces attacking their tanks. That was when Neptune and Andrew jumped into the fray in HDD, slicing the mercenaries apart.

"HEY! IT'S LADY PURPLE HEART AND HER HUSBAND! WE'RE SAVED!" another Planeptunian shouted with renewed vigor. Soon after, the enemy reinforcements arrived. Andrew felt a shiver down his spine, when he saw just WHO was leading it, and both sides ceased fire.

"Jose…" Andrew muttered.

"Ah. Purple Shield. We meet again." Jose said with a sinister smirk.

"You have my brother's amulet. I demand that you return it at once." Neptune ordered, pointing her Odachi at him.

"Oh… This thing?" Jose asked as he held it up. "I COULD give it back, but… I think I have a much better plan in mind." He added, laughing. He then slipped the amulet on, and his whole body began to glow a deep red, before he took on an almost demonic look, the same one Andrew and Neptune saw in their vision.

"No… It's happening…" Neptune muttered in fear.

"Impossible…" Collins stammered.

"Sergeant Collins, what's going on?! Report!" IF called on the comms, asking for an update.

"You see now, how great this power feels. How great this power IS! I will kill your pathetic husband and all your pathetic friends! Then your pathetic nation!" Jose explained, before giving off a hysterical, sadistic laughter.

"You've lost your mind…" Andrew muttered. It was then that the air support came as two A-10s flew in between the buildings. Jose, however, brought his rapier to bear on them, and in a brilliant flash of dark power, the two planes were brought out of the air, crashing into a building.

"My god…" a Planeptunian soldier muttered.

"Ready to return to your life under me, my little slave?" Jose asked Neptune. Andrew stepped in front of her in defense. "I see… your husband is still foolish enough to face me. Perhaps now is not the time to take you back. In time, your husband will die and you will return to me. Enjoy the little time you two have together." Jose spat. Andrew was ready to charge, when the now-demonic crime lord just leaped up and out of sight. That was when the firefight continued, and Andrew and Neptune quickly took action.

"IF, this is Collins, our air support is down! We need help!" Collins shouted.

"I know, Collins… I saw what happened…" IF replied shakily.

"Damn you!" Andrew snarled as he bisected an enemy tank. Neptune did what she could, but she knew that she could not handle this many foes.

"Neptune here, requesting immediate air support for the forces besieged at City Hall. Authorization Override: Gamma Victor One Eight Foxtrot!" Neptune called out on the comms.

"Copy that, Lady Purple Heart. Air support is en route. ETA one minute." a pilot replied. WIth that, Neptune and Andrew both jumped out of the way. A minute later, some A-10s flew past, firing unguided HVAR rockets at the enemy troops, followed by another two that strafed the enemy with thirty millimeter cannon fire. Finally, a third pair flew by with a second round of HVAR rockets on the stragglers, and soon, the battle was won.

"Collins to command. We have City Hall. I repeat, City Hall is under our control!" Collins shouted amidst the cheers of Planeptunian and Lastation ground forces.

"Copy that, Collins. Great work. We're just about done liberating Santa Elva. All that we have left in our battle plan to free Aurelius is the capital city, Griswall." IF said. The cheers of the men were soon quieted by Neptune's sobs as she lay against the wall out of HDD. Andrew quickly approached her.

"Neptune… What's wrong, love?" he asked her, concern in his voice.

"It's happening… The prophecy Luna showed us is happening… I'm so scared of losing you, Andrew!" She cried as she hugged him. Andrew hugged her back and tried to comfort her.

"Shhhhh. Sweetheart, it's going to be alright. We'll find a way, don't worry…" he said with a calming voice as he petted her hair lightly. A single tear fell down his face as he knew what his fate was going to be. His words did little to comfort her, however.

"I can't… I can't accept this… I don't want to lose you… I can't lose you…" Neptune wept. Collins walked over to the two of them and put a hand on her shoulder.

"H-... huh?" Neptune wondered as she looked up from Andrew's shoulder at Collins, who offered her a container of pudding. This got her to at least smile as she took it with the best "thank you" that she can give.

* * *

Hours later, everyone gathered in the City Hall of the newly liberated Santa Elva. Titus, Lance, HIstoire, Luna, and the other leaders were talking about the casualty reports, and they weren't pretty.

"Six thousand dead, two thousand dying, and another five thousand injured, and that's not counting the two thousand civilians that have been killed by those monsters…" Lance said with a sigh.

"These have been the worst casualties of this entire campaign so far." IF spat in displeasure. Outside, medics were tending to the wounded soldiers and civilians.

"These casualties are little compared to… that…" Jacob said with a sigh.

"Even I was unable to believe it… how Jacob's amulet could give our enemy such power… I now fear for Neptune's emotional well-being and continued safety…" Histoire added.

"The prophecy is coming true… and far faster than I'd like…" Luna continued.

"Nep Nep…" Compa muttered.

"We need to do something about this… If Lady Neptune loses her husband, that will break her spirit and destroy the morale of our forces." Lucas mused with concern.

"You're right, Lucas, but it's out of my hands. A prophecy is a prophecy, and the events have already been set in motion for that prophecy to be fulfilled. There's nothing we can do." Luna countered with a sullen look on her face.

"Nothing? Luna, you can reshape future events with your visions, heal and resurrect people with the shares. Surely you can bend the rules a little." Nepgear pleaded. All Luna could do was look down at the floor, close her eyes, and shake her head. Nepgear just looked down with sadness over the bleak future ahead of them.

"I know we all have had a long battle, but it's time we all get some rest. It's going to be a long, hard couple weeks to finish this." Histoire finally stated, closing the discussion. At that, everyone disbanded and went to get some rest.

* * *

-AUTHOR'S NOTES-

Once more, the fanfic has been a bitch to finish, and I have a whole other fanfic in mind for when this one is complete. College and real life, as well as general laziness and writer's block once again contribute to the late release of this chapter, but I swear on my life that this fanfic will be completed before the next one is started.

The whole "Not clear!" thing that Collins, a character from Ace Combat, does is from one of the Star Wars Battlefront II trailers.

As always, your opinion matters. Send in your reviews and tell me what I should keep doing and what I should stop doing.

That's all for now. Stay safe, eat your pudding, and keep on Nepping!


	9. To Kill a Crime Lord and Epilogue

The Neptunia Chronicles

To Kill a Crime Lord and Epilogue

Three weeks have passed since the liberation of Santa Elva, and the capital city, Griswall, stood right before the allied forces. Titus stood before the men and women of the allied forces, going through the briefing.

"Good Afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I anticipate that you had a good night sleep. Any questions or concerns before we start the briefing?" he asked. One soldier, a UEF Colonel, raised his hand. Titus nodded to him, telling him to speak his piece.

"Is this going to be our last operation?" the UEF Colonel asked in ernst.

"It's expected to be, soldier. This one operation is said to liberate a nation, and once that is done, we can all go home. Back to our loved ones." Titus replied. Another man, a Planeptunian, raised his hand and Titus motioned for him to ask.

"Will we be seeing anything of the Crime Lord this op?" the soldier asked.

"Not likely, but possibly. Intel has suggested that he left the city yesterday, but he has gone dark, so be prepared to expect the unexpected." Titus nodded Nobody else had any more questions. "Alright… To present the details of the coming operation, I have Commander Scott Mitchell." He finished, before stepping aside. Scott Mitchell, wearing a JSF and a Ghost patch on his uniform, stood before the men.

"Greetings, Ladies and Gentlemen. As you all know, I am Scott Mitchell, commander of the special forces group known only as the Ghosts. Let's get down to business." Scott introduced as he pulled up a holographic map of the city. Red blips lit up the map, and a large structure, the Basilicom, surrounded by a defensive ring, glowed red.

"The city of Griswall, Auelius's capital, lies in a state of complete and total enemy control." he began. "Heaven's Bane has dug themselves in deep, and erected a massive defensive network to protect their puppet government in the Basilicom. The defensive structure surrounding the Basilicom is codenamed the 'Atmos Ring.'" He began, tapping the ring surrounding the Basilicom. "This massive structure uses a mix of DEADS and PLADS air defense systems connected directly to three generators located here, here, and here." he continued. Little blips appeared in three locations in a triangular pattern around the ring.

"If we're up there, how will we hit those generators?" a pilot asked

"The only way to destroy those generators is from the ground." Mitchell replied. "Three teams of commando forces will enter the city by foot and destroy the generators simultaneously, while our combined air forces give support. Each generator is defended by a force of Commander Greg's elite forces, plus one officer. Once the generators are down, we will bust our way in with everything we've got; tanks, IFVs, troops, name it, use it. This is the big one, gentlemen. We've got the enemy on the ropes, and they'll be expected to make their final stand, here and now. You're all dismissed." he concluded. The soldiers stood up in unison and saluted briefly, before leaving.

* * *

The night was bright, and the basilicom, a massive, conjoined, two tower structure, gleamed in front of them. Surrounding the capital was the large defensive zone, known as the Atmos Ring. Solid Snake and a couple ODSTs were outside the city on reconnaissance, holding their ground for rendezvous with Free Auralian and Allied ground forces. The sounds of aircraft echoed behind them, on hold until the attack is issued.

"Hmm… the updated data leaked by that trojan was dead on… The city is swarming with tangoes." Snake muttered.

"Good god, Santa Elva part two…" one of the ODSTs muttered under his breath.

"Another joint operation is in order… You think Jose Carter is in there somewhere?" Another ODST mused, her feminine voice quiet.

"Hopefully not, otherwise this battle would be unwinnable." the other ODST replied.

"Cut the chatter, soldier." Kagami said as she, some UEF soldiers, and Free Aurelian forces walked up.

"Miss Hiiragi. Glad to have you on board." the womanly ODST said.

"She's not alone for this one." Konata announced as she walked up with UNSC and Loweean troops. Close behind them was Luna, leading her own group to the rendezvous.

"Miss Izumi. Lady Azure Heart." the other ODST greeted. The last one to join the party was Arfoire herself.

"Griswall… In all my time, I never thought I'd see this place…" she said.

"Lady Arfoire. Glad to see you." Kagami said with a smile.

"You too, Kagami." Arfoire replied with a genuine, warm smile. Close behind her was a platoon of Planeptunian soldiers from Sergeant Collins' unit, and Sergeant Collins himself was in that very platoon.

"Are we all ready to liberate my nation?" Luna asked, full of hope.

"Just about." Snake replied, before kneeling down and using his Codec. "Solid Snake here. All of our forces are in position. We are ready to commence Operation Freedom Fighter." he said.

"Copy that. All forces, Operation Freedom Fighter is a go. I say again, Operation Freedom Fighter is a go. Liberate Griswall and ensure the freedom of Aurelius. Everyone... Best of luck. ENGAGE!" Histoire announced The loud roar of thunder jets echoed across the night sky. The XF-190 Doras, flying the Amethyst Squadron colors, began jamming the enemy radar facilities, while F/A-38s, F-22As, and other aircraft began their attack on the Atmos Ring. That's when the sky lit up with laser fire.

"Woah! What the hell?!" Amethyst 3 shouted as a Leanbox Rafale M exploded off his left wing.

"Don't want to get hit by that thing…" Reaper warned.

"Jeez! You've gotta be _kidding_ me!" Amethyst 3 added.

"Watch out! That thing's a monster! The power of the Atmos Ring far exceeds anything we could have ever imagined!" Ishtar 1 shouted darkly, warning everyone to keep their distance.

"DEADS and PLADS… Two pieces of our laser technology, being used against us…" Amethyst 2 muttered. As a Planeptunian, she dreaded seeing this kind of thing.

"Aye, number two. I've been dreading this moment for a while." Amethyst 1 concurred.

"Infinity Squadron, Formation Alpha 3!" Reaper ordered. Infinity Squadron, followed by the rest of Task Force 118, quickly changed their tactics.

"AAAHH!" a UNSC pilot shouted as his Broadsword fighter was hit directly by a DEADS battery, shortly before slamming into a nearby house.

"Gryphus 1, do you copy?! This is Ishtar 1! The Atmos Ring has us in a bind! Can you see anything from your position?!" Ishtar 1 called out.

"I gotcha! Things are looking pretty grim. I have an idea though. Lady Azure Heart, can you hear me? We're going to give you and the ground forces an opening. Stand by and stand back!" Gryphus one reported. He changed his altitude and blind fired two AIM-120D AMRAAM missiles from his F-22A's missile bay at the Atmos Ring's concrete structure. The explosions ripped open a large hole in the walls, big enough to drive a tank through.

"Airstrike was on target! This is Kagami, we're going in!" Kagami shouted on the comms.

* * *

Snake grabbed his Glock, and attached it to a strange device, before turning on a screen. The device turned out to be a CornerShot. He was leading the ODSTs to the first of the three power generators that ran the laser defences on the Atmos Ring.

"Go! Go!" Snake shouted under his breath at the two ODSTs. They quickly took position between a metal door, and set up a thermite charge on the hinges and door handle. Snake counted down with his fingers. 3… 2… 1… With a fist pump to give the order, the ODSTs ignited the thermite, and it began to eat its way through the hardened steel of the door. Snake took the time to adjust his CornerShot. When the charge was exhausted, all it took was a simple tap for the door to fall on top of a mercenary who was ready to pounce, only to be smushed by a two hundred pound steel door that had isolated temperatures in extremes of four thousand degrees, which was extremely painful for him. At this point, it was considered a mercy just to put a bullet in the mercenary's head, which was quickly done.

Snake looked around the room with his camera, and it seemed empty. A quick scan via infrared revealed three heat signatures along the wall, waiting for the chance to strike. Three solid headshots with the CornerShot, however, and they were on the ground, dead.

"Very sneaky sonsabitches, these mercenaries." the male ODST mused.

"Grab their cloaking devices. We'll make great use of them." Snake said, before he disappeared. The two ODSTs with him looked at each other, then shrugged, before taking cloaking generators off the corpses of the dead mercenaries, before cloaking themselves. The three of them made their way through the structure, coming to a stop in front of the generator. Snake slit the throat of the mercenary officer controlling the generator, before they all decloaked.

"Lily, toss me that Semtex!" the male ODST shouted to his female counterpart. She tossed him a large Semtex charge, and he stuck it to the base of the generator and priming it.

"Charge set! Let's get out of here!" Snake shouted, before the three of them ran out of the building. The female ODST took out the remote detonator and hit the trigger. A large explosion ensued, blowing the generator apart. The resulting loss of power meant the Atmos Ring's laser defenses lost some of their punch, but one generator wasn't enough to turn the tide. There were still two left, but two other teams were on that.

* * *

"This is Snake, One generator is down. Master Chief, Delta Three EIght, how are things on your end?" Snake asked on the Codec as Delta Squad fanned out around the second generator.

"This is Delta Lead, we're outside the objective." Boss announced.

"This is Sierra-117, SPARTAN Blue Team and I are on the way, but are pinned down by a unit of enemy IFVs. We're going to be late getting to our objective." The Master Chief announced on the comms.

"Understood, we're on the way to exfil." Snake replied.

"Three Eight, I'm seeing activity in the surrounding buildings. We're going to have to make this quick, or we will be overrun." Fixer warned.

"Understood, Fixer. Stack up, everyone. Scorch, get a breaching charge on that door." Boss ordered. Scorch quickly engaged the breaching charge on the door, and a few seconds after, it blew apart the locks that kept the steel door closed. The clone commandos then fell in and entered the bunker that housed the second generator powering the Atmos Ring.

"Switching to thermals…" Sev said, as he turned on the thermal imaging on his Katarn helmet's visor. "Deltas, we've got contacts all around us!" he shouted.

"Mercenary Elites! Switch to thermals and open fire!" Boss ordered, and the rest of Delta Squad did just that, before they were quickly fired upon by Greg Levitsky's elite mercenaries. Delta Squad quickly countered with their DC-17Ms, firing full auto with their blasters on the enemy around them. The reinforced concrete bunker was cramped, with at least six enemies around them, and the sounds of blaster fire echoed all around the room. The clone commandos held their ground, and the cloaked mercenaries fell one by one. Finally, the last mercenary was killed.

"Room is clear. Let's keep going, Deltas." Boss finally said after a while for them to catch their breath. They ran into the generator room to find it empty.

"Where's the commander? This doesn't seem right, Three Eight. The intel said there was a low ranking mercenary commander at each generator station." Fixer muttered.

"Fixer's right, Boss. Something just isn't adding up. You think he packed up and ran or died when we entered?" Sev concurred. That's when Scorch let out a loud shriek.

"Get off of me, you mercenary scum!" he shouted, twitching as the cloaked commander tried to snap his neck. Finally, he pulled the offending mercenary over him, before stabbing them in the gut with the vibroknife in his gauntlet The cloaking generator failed, revealing the now dead mercenary commander. "Remind me to get a little of that Force training from General Kenobi once we return to the Republic." he said with a sigh as he brushed blood and scuff marks off his armor..

"Very well, Scorch. Get a demo charge on that generator." Boss ordered.

"On it, boss." Scorch replied as he took a demolition charge and planted it on the base of the generator, before punching in the number sequence.

"Heads up, Delta Squad, you've got a mercenary force coming out of the buildings and headed in your direction. How long until that generator is destroyed?" Maddox informed impatiently.

"We're getting a charge set on the generator right now." Boss confirmed. As he did so, a handful of mercenaries poured in in in a steady stream.

"Open fire! Let's give Six Two some time!" Fixer shouted, and the other three commandos went to work fighting against the enemy. The bunker interior lit up a brilliant blue as blaster fire flew straight towards the mercenaries, and the cramped entrance became littered with corpses, causing the enemy to either trip as they entered or stay outside. For those that stayed outside, Boss tossed a thermal detonator at them, and the enemies were fried instantly.

"Six Two, how much longer until that charge is set?" Boss asked as he continued to pour blaster fire at the mercenaries trying to claw their way inside.

"Just a few more seconds!" Scorch replied as he was finishing up with the detonator. The seconds tick by, until finally, he inputs the last digit into the detonator. "Charge set!" he called.

"Alright! Let's get out of here!" Boss ordered, and the clone commandos fell in, laying down fire on the mercenaries that continued their attack. One got close and took a Vibroknife to the face by Sev, before being kicked into another one trying to kill him with a waraxe, tripping him forward and in the killing zone of the clones. Eventually they made their way outside, where Boss pulled the trigger on the detonator. With a loud, thunderous crack, the second generator finally went up in smoke.

* * *

"This is Delta Three Eight, second generator destroyed. Delta Squad is moving to Exfil." Boss announced on the radio.

"Copy that. Be advised, our air forces have suffered significant casualties. We cannot risk bringing reinforcements until that last generator is destroyed. Master Chief, SPARTAN Blue Team, please hurry." Maddox announced.

"This is Sierra-117, we're still pinned down by IFVs near the objective. We need air support now." The Chief explained.

"That's a negative, Sierra-117, we cannot risk air support at this time. You'll have to find your own solution." Maddox replied.

"What about the CPUs?" Linda asked, taking over the comms.

"We can send someone over to you, but I do not know how long they can stay and help." Maddox said. That was when the IFVs exploded, with Cloud getting out of the wreckage.

"Saved by the man with the comically big sword…" Kelly said.

"Sierra-117, Cloud has cleared a path. We're moving to the target." the Chief exclaimed as he and SPARTAN Blue Team continued to move forward.

"It's run and gun all the way." Frederick shouted. Cloud stayed with them and provided assistance when necessary, taking out trucks, technicals, barracades, and any other defensive option the occupation force could muster against the rampaging SPARTANs.

"Just a few hundred meters more to the objective. Marking the entrance now." Cortana said as she put a beacon on the SPARTANs' HUDs, marking the entrance to the bunker where the generator is located. Everyone made a beeline towards the entrance, and with a few solid punches, the solid steel door crumpled inward, smashing against an awaiting mercenary at high velocity.

"Chief! Cloaked contacts! I count three of them inside!" Cortana warned. The Master Chief simply tossed in a fragmentation grenade, and it detonated, killing the cloaked occupants and destroying their cloaking generators. They then swapped their MA5Cs for their general issue sidearms, before stepping inside. Scanning the room, they found the mercenary commander groaning on the floor, missing an arm and a leg. Splintered bone fragments poked out from the wounds. Kelly simply pointed her handgun at the man and pulled the trigger, ending his suffering.

"Frederick, explosives!" Linda shouted, before Frederick tossed her an application gun that contained an ONI-developed explosive foam. She applied the foam at the base of the generator and around the control panel. Just a small glob of this foam in the right places could disable a Warthog ATV, as was demonstrated, but they need a heck of a lot of it for a generator of this size. Once she finished applying the foam, she stuck in a remote detonator and linked it to its computer, before they beelined out of the bunker. The punch of a button on the detonator sent the bunker interior, and the generator, sky high.

"Target destroyed!" Frederick reported. Around them, spotlights flickered and cut off, and the DEADS and PLADS batteries on the Atmos Ring began to shutdown, a lack of power sources to drive them. That's when the bombs started to fall on the walls, creating huge gaps that allowed the allied forces to pour inside.

* * *

"Scramble all available air assets, fighters and ground attack aircraft. We've got to hold the enemy off for just a little longer." enemy command chatter said as it bled through to the Allies' headsets.

"Heads up, they're scrambling the remnants of their air force." Gryphus 1 announced as multiple hostile aircraft zoom climbed into the air on takeoff.

"PAK-FAs, Su-35s, Su-47s, Su-25s, MiG-29s, MiG-21s… They're bringing a whole slew of planes." Ishtar 1 announced.

"They've gotta be really desperate to bring the entire brunt of their air force like this." a Loweean pilot in an F/A-18F Super Hornet muttered.

"Without their cover from the Atmos Ring, they've got little option. Gotta give these guys credit, they certainly fight better than they used to." Bishop mused.

"Hot damn, here they come." Warwolf 2 said as the swarm of enemy planes flew in.

"More planes coming in on our twelve. They're bringing in the entirety of their air forces. I count sixty, no seventy planes total." Amethyst 2 warned. Outside visual range, a whole slew of MiG 23s, Su 24s, F-20s, and other aircraft in mercenary hands rushed in on full afterburner.

"This is bad…" Reaper stated.

"Heads up, another mass of planes inbound from behind, you don't want to know how many." a Broadsword pilot warned. That was when he noticed something. "Hold on… They're friendly! My god! They're here! Everyone, allied reinforcements have arrived!" he exclaimed. Behind them, a Valkur ATF launched swarm missiles at the mass of enemy planes, followed by a volley of missiles from several Allied aircraft. The mass of enemy planes took a direct hit, and they started to lose their nerve.

"Amethyst Squadron, activate your ESM pods! Let's give our allies some help. Engage any and every enemy you see." Amethyst Squadron ordered. The battle quickly became a massive furball that would be reminiscent of Operation Bodenplatte, if not for the city below, and the fact that missiles were the key weapon in this engagement.

"YAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOO!" a Leanbox pilot shouted, flying past in an XFA-27, launching his missiles, before switching to guns on a PAK-FA.

"Now this is a fight worth living for!" Amethyst 3 exclaimed as he hit an Su-35 with his laser. More and more, the massive dogfight quickly turned sour for the over-extended Mercenary Forces. The sky lit up again with tracer fire from AA trucks and technicals, but the lack of radar guidance, thanks to the continued jamming from Amethyst Squadron, made them inaccurate enough that they sometimes hit their own planes.

* * *

"TAKE THIS!" Arfoire shouted as she rushed in, summoning her giant mace and striking a T-90's turret, crushing the metal and any occupants inside. Kagami followed close behind her and summoned a sea of fire around a group of mercenaries approaching them. Avan and Zeri followed suit with gunfire on the stragglers, whilst Haruhi psionically tossed wrecked vehicles at anyone trying to reinforce the enemy. Konata hopped about, slicing and dicing her own bands of mercenaries. The attack on the city was relentless, as the occupation force was losing its strength.

"Come on! Try and get me, you bastards!" Sergeant Collins shouted at the enemy, firing his Pulse Laser Rifle wildly, yet with precision. His men took position around him, laying down their own fire at the enemy. A T-72 rolled in, only to be disabled with a well placed spear toss from Vert in her HDD form.

In another part of the city, Luna, Noire, Lance and Lucas were fighting their way to the center of the city, followed by Lastation and Free Aurelian troops, with Schwarzkopf MBTs from the Lastation Third Armored Battalion in support. They were advancing on the Basilicom, ready to take out the puppet government leaders so that Luna may retake her place as the CPU of her nation.

"Tanks in our path!" Luna shouted as she drew her bow with a summoned fire arrow, before launching it at a T-95 blocking their way. It pierced the tank, before setting the engine alight. The crews quickly abandoned it, and tried to draw their sidearms and take a shot at Luna, only to be gunned down by Lucas with his Pulse Laser Rifle. "Thanks for that." Luna said, as another T-95 was blown to bits by a shot from one of the Schwarzkopfs. They quickly made their way to the basilicom.

* * *

"Hostile air forces, seventy five percent destroyed." Juggernaut announced to the air forces.

"This is almost too easy." Amethyst 3 mused.

"With a little bit of faith, there's a lot you can accomplish." Mishka replied in ernst. Another volley of missiles went through, and soon, more planes were destroyed. Andrew and Neptune had joined the fight earlier, and were flying around in HDD, destroying any enemy planes they could get their hands on.

"Fox Two!" Christopher shouted, firing an AIM-9X at an enemy plane. His missile followed the heat trail towards a PAK-FA on full afterburner, detonating when close enough to the target to send a lethal flechette of fragments into critical parts of the target aircraft, leaving it spiralling down in a fireball.

"Confirmed kill, Gryphus One" Amethyst 1 replied, before trailing an Su-47 and blowing it out of the sky with his laser. "Bingo!" he shouted as it burst into flames.

* * *

"DAMN IT!" Jose shouted, smashing a terminal in the Basilicom, his entire body fueled by rage, as he looked on while the Allied Forces continued to massacre his forces. That's when he took his Rapier and went outside, before starting to kill many allied troops. A UEF soldier cried out in horror, terrified of Jose's demonic form, before being sliced in half. Those that survived noted his escape, making his way to the airfield where his own personal fighter is located.

"Th-The hell?!" Lucas muttered as he witnessed just what happened.

"That was Jose…" Noire muttered. Lance raised a link to Command to report what they had just witnessed.

"This is Lance to command and all Allied Forces personnel. Be advised, the Crime Lord himself just left the basilicom and made a mess of a number of our soldiers. He's making a beeline towards the nearby airfield as we speak." Lance announced.

"Copy that, Black Shield. We're going to have to be careful from here on out." IF responded, before turning her attention to the allied air forces. "All allied aircraft, this is IF with Allied Forces Command. Jose Carter has been spotted heading South by Southwest towards the nearby airfield that held a majority of the remaining enemy's air forces. It is possible he could be ready to join the battle in the air at any time." she announced.

"Shit." Bishop swore.

* * *

"Andrew! I don't like where this is going!" Neptune shouted, before slicing apart a MiG-21 that got close.

"I know, Neptune…" Andrew replied as he used one of Nepgear's attacks, Slash Wave, on an approaching F-20 Tigershark. The attack practically destroyed the enemy plane in a brilliant flash of light.

"Enemy air forces, ninety percent destroyed. We're almost there." Juggernaut reported.

"Don't stop fighting. We can't give in to despair when victory is so close…" Amethyst 2 said, trying to lighten up the mood.

"Right. Let's clean up, then." Neptune replied with a smile, before slicing a MiG-29 in half. That was when Nepgear joined in, flying around in HDD, using her gunblade to deal damage to the enemy planes at long range.

"Glad to have you with us, Gears. Let's finish this up." Andrew said as Nepgear's attack struck true on an Su-47's cockpit, killing the pilot and turning the fighter into a fireball.

"Enemy forces, six percent remaining… hold up… Warning! Warning! Swarm missiles, incoming, everyone break!" Juggernaut reported, just before an ADMM strike decimated allied aircraft and threatened to break the Allied Forces' air superiority. The Valkur took three direct hits and was destroyed instantly, the pilot unable to eject in time. As planes exploded, Jose Carter entered the scene, his CFA-44 Nosferatu screaming in on full afterburner.

"Colonel! It's him! The Crime Lord bastard!" Guntieres warned as Jose swapped to his dual vulcan cannons and gunned Gryphus 2 out of the sky.

"GAAAHHH! Damn it!" Mishka shouted as his left engine caught fire.

"Gryphus 2! Get out of there, bail out!" Christopher shouted. Miska pulled hard on his eject handle with all his strength, and was forced out of his stricken Su-30.

"Alright… Let's take the crime boss out…" Bishop said as he pulled hard into a half kulbit, before speeding in towards his target. He gets a lock and fires an AIM-9X. "Fox 3!" he shouted as the Sidewinder guided its way towards the CFA-44. Jose tried to counter with a cobra, as well as a mix of chaff and flares. Though he defeated the incoming missiles, he just couldn't shake the man who shot down Markov.

Glued to his tail, Bishop fired his guns at just the right moment. The bullets went straight through the ADMM pods that provided the enemy's swarm missiles and, with a loud pop, they became useless. Jose reacted quickly and jettisoned them from his aircraft, before relying on the A-11 Archer missiles that his plane had equipped.

"Watch out, those missiles look to have IIR guidance systems. Whatever you do, do not let him get a lock on you." Amethyst 2 warned.

"He's vulnerable. I have an idea." Bishop said after a short while,

"What are you planning, Warwolf?" Neptune asked.

"I'm going to lead him towards you and your husband while I'm still on his tail, then break off at the last second for you two to slice his wings off." Bishop explained, sticking close to Jose's tail.

"Sounds solid. We're awaiting your signal." Andrew replied. Bishop put his plan into action. Jose's situational awareness falters as he focuses on losing the plane that was almost tailgating him. It was far too late when he noticed Purple Shield and Neptune floating there in HDD, swords ready.

"NOW!" Bishop yelled as he pulled hard on his stick, breaking away from the engagement. With little time to react, Jose could only watch. Time seemed to slow down as Neptune and Andrew's swords chewed through his wings, finishing moments later, as he passed by them at supersonic speed. His wrecked plane basically would thread the needle through the Basilicom's double tower as it went down. He ejected moments before he hit the ground with a low thud miles away from the city.

"Jose's plane is down. I don't think he's dead, but he won't trouble us for a while." Amethyst 1 announced. Around them, the last few remaining enemy aircraft began to turn tail and retreat from the airspace.

"Enemy planes are retreating. Looks like they're running scared." Juggernaut reported.

"We will handle Jose later. Let us first deal with the liberation of Griswall." Andrew responded.

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me… they shot down Jose's aircraft?" Greg stammered with an audible gulp.

"I have to admit, that was a perfectly executed plan… what now?" one of his elite mercenaries asked, trying to figure out their next move.

"The leader of Heaven's Bane cannot be killed that easily… He will send us an order if he wishes for us to retreat." Greg responded. That was when Jose's voice crackled through the radio.

"Commander. I want you and your men to abandon the Basilicom and meet me at my coordinates. My life's work is lost, but I will not go down without a fight, and I will not rest until Neptune is back in my possession." he ordered.

"Yes, sir." Greg responded, before looking up at his men. "You all heard the boss. We're leaving this place." he shouted. All of his elite mercenaries made their preparations, before they left by a Hind that utilized Aurelian stealth technology, making a beeline for Jose's position before vanishing entirely.

* * *

"Greg Levitsky and his men are leaving the battle. It looks like they're reinforcing the crash site of Jose's fighter, which means the Crime Lord still lives." Lidwig announced.

"Got it. Let us finish up this battle and take some time to relax and regain our strength. All of our forces indicate that they have the enemy encircled around the Basilicom, and are due to fall at any time." Vert replied on the comms.

"Large swathes of the enemy are surrendering, Lady Azure Heart. They seem to be low on supplies and their morale seems crushed at this point. Many are even killing their own comrades as they switch to our side." one of the Free Aurelian soldiers pointed out as information trickled in over the comms.

"We'll take any advantage we can get to liberate our land from Jose Carter's oppressive hand. Everyone, this battle is almost over." Luna replied as they made their final push to the basilicom. The fighting on the road up was at its thickest, as many mercenaries, with broken morale and borrowed supplies from their fallen comrades around them, fought back in a desperate and futile, yet heroic attempt to protect the puppet government.

"It's funny how their morale becomes non-existent when they lose every single figurehead they could rally around, yet some who have unshakeable loyalty to their boss continue to defy logic and keep fighting in a futile hope that they can stop us…" Noire mused.

"At the rate we're going, we should be done before early dawn. That is a good thing, too, because the weather forecast is calling for a major thunderstorm at oh five hundred hours, and I can already see the clouds beginning to gather." Lance added. With a nod, everyone rushed inside. The puppet government leaders were in the Basilicom's worship hall, and it was just a short sprint to the West Tower of the conjoined structure, past a few remnants of the mercenary occupation force, before they entered it. A few well-placed shots, and the last remaining mercenaries occupying the Basilicom were dead. That was when Luna spoke up, while Free Aurelian soldiers had their weapons pointed at the fake leaders' heads.

"Occupational Government leaders. I am Azure Heart, CPU of Aurelius. You stand charged with the egregious crimes of the willful oppression of my nation, and the mistreatment of my people as you allowed the Heaven's Bane Crime Syndicate to do what they willed. That accounts to high treason against our wonderful, peace-loving nation. How do you plead?" Luna spoke, her voice boomed across the worship hall as expected from an angry CPU. The members of the Puppet Government quivered in fear, but dared not to speak out against the Crime Lord who had filled them with a sense of power. That was when a secretary, a fifteen year old girl it seemed, spoke out. She was among the last remaining slaves, and was forced to serve the false government against her will. The man Jose appointed Prime Minister swore under his breath, vowing to kill the girl, but was stopped by a warning shot before he can draw a handgun on her. The secretary quickly ran over to Luna and hugged her tightly, not wanting to let go. None of the puppet government leaders spoke a word, and seemed to hold resentment towards both the former slave and the CPUs.

"I see that the rest of you have your heads filled with lies of wealth, grandeur and power under a life alongside the crime lord… Luna, if you may…" Noire muttered quite audibly and with a grim expression.

"Very well. I had hoped to show mercy on you, but you leave me no choice. Your silence will be taken as pleading guilty to all charges of high treason, and you will be placed under immediate arrest awaiting execution." Luna spoke once more, casting her judgement on the men that controlled her nation on the whims of Jose Carter for so long. The Free Aurelian soldiers walked up to them and handcuffed them, before searching them and removing all weapons and leading them outside the building towards the prison. As they left, Luna left her HDD form and collapsed on one of the pews in the worship hall. "Oohhh… Home sweet home…" she cried.

"So this is your Basilicom… It's better on the inside than I imagined…" Neptune said as she entered, allowing her HDD to drop out on her as she collapsed next to her. Andrew followed suit and rather gently sat down next to his wife. Noire's HDD dropped out on her as well. Lance and Lucas soon joined them.

"That was an exhausting battle… We should head to my room for a couple hours, to rest and recover our strength while we plan our next move." Luna said as she stood up, taking the freed slave with her. They took an elevator to the pool floor and crossed the top most Sky Bridge to the East Tower, where Luna's living quarters were located. One last elevator ride took them all to the top. Lance, Neptune and Andrew were in awe of the look of Luna's personal living area. Lucas opened a fridge and removed all rotten and expired items, cleaning it out.

"It's definitely going to need some TLC, but it's home…" Luna said as she turned on a light and collapsed on a couch with a groan of exhaustion. "I missed this couch…" she finally said. Neptune sat down next to her and turned the TV on. A news broadcast from Gamindustri World News was reporting a massive, triumphant rise of the people as they cheered, cried, hugged, and celebrated in their happiness over the liberation of their nation.

"Talk about crazy… I never expected to win so quickly…" Andrew said as he sat down. Neptune handed both him and Luna each a cup of pudding, and all three of them enjoyed.

An hour later, one of the soldiers came in, Vert, Blanc, Jacob, and all the CPU Candidates in tow, with some soda and fresh pizza for them to eat. Neptune eyed the food.

"Um… Isn't it considered a break in logic to have someone bring pizza when it's only been an hour after liberating a city? Like, what the heck, author, leave a couple days for the people to calm down and allow life to return to normal." she muttered.

"As meta as that comment is, a well-trained couple that make pizzas for the delivery company Pizza Nutt got together and commandeered a bakery not too far from here as quickly as they were able and quickly made us this pizza and soda as thanks to the CPUs of the nations in Gamindustri Proper for the aid that was provided in freeing the nation. That would have to include you, Lady Purple Heart." the soldier quipped. Luna quickly got plates and glasses out and everyone began to eat.

"Ahh… This is good pizza…" Luna said, a look of pure ecstasy on her face.

"While we are enjoying this food, Jose Carter is planning a last stand at his current location, and I believe he intends to kidnap Neptune and leave the region if given the chance. We need to strike soon, and we need a plan to do it." Lucas said with concern.

"There won't be any planning this time… I know what I must do…" Andrew responded rather quickly.

"NEPU!" Neptune responded, looking at Andrew with a pale face and a look of utter shock and disbelief.

"I will have to face Jose one on one, and try to destroy the amulet that is giving him his power. If I do not do my part, then Jose will merely return with an unending army of mercenaries. If that happens… then our nations are doomed…" Andrew clarifies.

"But… But but but but… I-If you do that… y-you'll die!" Neptune cries.

"I know, Neptune… I know… It is a risk, a HUGE risk, but prophecies don't always go the way they are told… who knows, maybe fate will dictate that we destroy the Crime Lord together. All I ask is for a little faith." Andrew confided.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing…" Neptune muttered.

"I will gather Avan and the others. Our best friends and fighters will provide our best chance at defeating Greg Levitsky's elite forces." Lucas said.

* * *

Hours pass, and finally, at 0800 hours time, everyone departed for the crash site of Jose's plane. The weather was stormy. Strong winds, heavy downpours, and even thunder and lightning made the trip treacherous. When they finally arrived, they were met with an almost disheartening scene. All of Greg's mercenary elites stood their ground. There were hundreds of them. They all raised their weapons at everyone, before Andrew stepped up to the plate.

"Ah, Purple Shield. Welcome to this, our final confrontation. What happens here dictates what will happen in the future." Jose said sinisterly, as all of the mercenaries kept their guns trained on him.

"Don't interfere. This is between me and your boss." Andrew said, gesturing to the mercenaries that threatened to shoot him dead. His words made them realize what was about to happen, and they lowered their guns.

"I will kill everyone that Neptune holds dear, and she will return to me as my slave!" Jose said as he unsheathed his rapier. Runes glowed a deep crimson along the wide-bladed sword.

"I won't let that happen. As her husband and guardian, I will never stop protecting her. This ends now!" Andrew shouted as he activated HDD. The two of them jumped up and into the air.

"Be careful, sweetie!" Neptune called out. Andrew drew the first strike, only to be quickly parried by Jose. Andrew blocked a counter with his shield, before performing an uppercut while his opponent's defense was down. His attack worked, and Jose lost some ground. However, the Crime Lord seemed to regain his ground rather quickly, and easily retaliated. The sword fight was a spectacle to those watching from below, as both of them tried to get a serious blow on one another. It quickly went into Andrew's favor, as he used DImension Blitz on Jose before he could react, and he managed to damage the amulet. Before he could get another strike in to finish the job however, his opponent used a rather underhanded trick, stabbing the Paladin-Knight in his upper chest. Neptune looked on in horror as her husband sat there, before falling to the ground with a thud, his HDD giving out on him.

"NO! NOO!" Neptune cried out as she ran to him, before grabbing hold of him in a hug. "Speak to me, sweetie! Speak to me!" she begged.

"The amulet's… damaged… Finish this, Neptune… End this war…" Andrew replied in a hoarse, pained voice. Neptune nodded, before she activated HDD and transformed.

"Compa… Watch over him… I must put an end to all of this on my own…" she said as she flew up, Compa running over to drag Andrew back to their friends.

"You seek to challenge your master, Neptune?" Jose spat.

"You are not my master. And I am not your slave! Neptune Break!" Neptune shouted, absorbing everyone's faith and channeling it all into her EXE attack.

"Look at me, Andrew! Stay with us!" Compa begged, trying to keep Neptune's husband alive. During Neptune's use of Neptune Break, the amulet around Jose's neck shattered, destroying his demonic form.

"You will be destroyed, and you will be banished forever, criminal! Begone!" Neptune declared, and with one final strike, she put an end to Jose's life once and for all. She watched in anger and righteous fury as the once proud crime lord plunged head-first towards Gamindustri. A few quick breaths were all she needed to regain her composure.

"NEP NEP! I DON'T THINK HE WILL LAST MUCH LONGER!" Compa cried. Neptune, her heart beginning to sink, quickly rushed over to her dying husband, before deactivating her HDD.

"Andrew! Andrew! Please speak to me!" Neptune begged, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"I… hear you, Neptune…" Andrew replied with a few coughs. "It seems that my time is running out…" he continued.

"No… No it can't! Please!" Neptune countered.

"It's too late for that, now… You've always been good to me, love… For all your weird gimmicks and your addiction to pudding… there was always that bright smile that made me smile… that merry attitude that brought me laughter and happiness… Those moments we've had…" Andrew continued, coughing off to the side.

"We shared those moments together… We saw our love blossom and prosper like the nation we govern together… Your presence always filled me with a happiness… always made me feel whole…" Neptune added amongst her sniffling. Even stronger people like IF, Blanc, Jacob, Lance, and Avan were starting to cry as they realized these two were sharing what was going to be their last moment together.

"Your presence made… me whole, too… Nep…" Andrew continued. He was clearly getting weaker by the second. "I'm going to miss you, Neptune…" he concluded.

"Please… I beg you… don't go… I need you…" Neptune begged once more. It was then that all the mercenary forces began to lower their weapons, even drop them to the ground. They've had enough of warfare.

"What are you doing?! Fight, you idiots!" Greg shouted in anger and frustration, trying to take control of the situation. One of the mercenaries that followed him took a Makarov pistol and put a bullet in the enraged commander's head. It was enough to make Compa jump, but she kept her attention on the dying man.

"There's… no time left… Neptune… do me a favor, would you… live life to the fullest… always remember me… and… whatever happens… protect your honor as a CPU…" Andrew said quietly.

"No! Stay with me, Andrew! Please! I'm scared! Please don't go! Please, don't go!" Neptune continued to cry.

"I am… truly sorry… Goodbye… Neptune…" he finally said, before his eyes closed and his body became limp. This was the moment that Neptune felt that she had lost everything, and broke down into a full stream of tears.

"Come back… Andrew, come back… Please… come back!" she cried. Nothing that anyone would tell her would have her break her grip on him now, as she basically held onto him for dear life.

"Neptune… he's gone… I am truly sorry…" Noire said rather uncharacteristically, trying to console her friend.

"I don't want him to be gone… I need him… please… please come back to me… please…" Neptune continued to cry. All Noire could do was cry alongside her.

"Look… The mercenary forces are giving up…The war is finally over…" Luna said with a smile.

"But was it worth it, Luna? Was it truly worth her pain?" Avan asked, barely holding back his own tears. Having a premonition, Luna realized that Neptune would never be the same again, and decided to do something to change the situation for the better. She walked over to Andrew's body and knelt down before it. Neptune looked up at her, trying to see what she was doing.

"H...huh?" Neptune asked, amongst uncontrollable sniffling. It was then that Luna's body began to glow a brilliant blue, and before her very eyes, Andrew's dead body began to float a couple meters off the ground as his wounds were healed and his life began to be restored in him. After a while, his body floated back down. Neptune, Compa and Luna stared at him, before he began to stir. His eyes would open up, and a smile would greet his face.

"Hello, love…" Andrew said rather warmly, and Neptune, overjoyed, couldn't help but cry again as she held him close.

"Andrew! Andrew!" she yelled, holding him tight.

"I hear you, Nep." Andrew replied.

"I thought I lost you… I thought you were never going to come back to me…" she cried back. Andrew couldn't help but chuckle.

"Of course not, Neptune. I'd never leave you…" he said in reply."

"Your work is nothing short of a miracle, Luna…" Compa shouted happily as she embraced the Aurelian CPU. "Thank you… Thank you for ensuring Nep Nep remained happy…" She continued. Everyone around them, even the mercenaries that were ready to kill allied forces members, rejoiced as they witnessed Purple Shield's resurrection. As Neptune tried to help Andrew up to his feet, he simply fought her, instead pulling her down into a loving kiss. They held it for a while, before they finally broke away.

"Let's go home sweetie pie…" Neptune said with a loving smile.

"Yeah." Andrew replied as he sat up, and they left the area.

* * *

Ten months have passed, and Neptune had, with Histoire's careful watch and Compa's gentle care, given birth to twins, a boy and a girl, which were promptly named Daniel and Violet. As painful as things had been for Neptune, she was beginning to look up to a brighter future. Having learned to suppress her darker memories from her time as a slave, she had gotten closer to her old self than ever before. She still dresses up her husband, but if details were to be provided, Histoire is probably going to lecture me on how a running gag gets overused.

Many of the heroes from the war returned to their home dimensions, though some decided to remain.

Infinity, Amethyst, Ishtar, and Gryphus Squadrons receive the Black Heart's Cross, Purple Heart's Cross, and Azure Heart's Cross respectively for their actions throughout the war, going above and beyond the call of duty to protect their homelands.

Noire and Lance finally have their wedding, and the other CPUs were bridesmaids, with Neptune as the maid of honor. Lance chose Avan to be his best man.

Blanc and Jacob live the happy life they were denied for a very long time, and together, they both publish a best selling novel based on the heroics of those who fought in the war against crime.

Ludwig Schneider was exonerated of all crimes and made Minister of Defense in Luna's reestablished Parliament. Titus, having entrusted his former position as a wartime minister to the next generation, became an oracle to serve the CPUs alongside Histoire. Luna and Lucas would begin to date one another, and in doing so, Lucas would find himself the new Prime Minister of Aurelius.

The puppet government members that controlled Aurelius were executed for their crimes by firing squad.

The five CPUs met and issued a three-part ultimatum to Gamindustri:

A: All slaves are hereby freed, and any further enslavements will be met with fierce reprisals from the Allied Nations.

B: The Heaven's Bane Crime Syndicate is henceforth dissolved, and its assets and bank accounts frozen.

C: Anyone who still held loyalty to the late Jose Carter and openly tried to reorganize Heaven's Bane is arrested for disruption of peace and brought to justice.

Not like any of the threatening bits were needed. The remaining slaves were handed over as free people and returned to their families, and practically everybody in the world did not wish for a second war between the Crime Syndicate and the Allied Nations anyways, so anyone who longed for their former employers to return merely wished so to give them a good whack to the nose for throwing the world into so much chaos.

On the balcony at the Planeptune Basilicom, Andrew and Neptune were enjoying their time together.

"Andrew…" Neptune cooed as she placed down a tub of pudding on the table.

"Yes, sweetie?" Andrew replied.

"Come here and let me do your makeup." she teased. All Andrew could do was playfully roll his eyes and walk forward to join his wife at the table, before they both dug into the pudding. Histoire watched them with a smile as they took the time to enjoy themselves. Just the two of them, no distractions. IF, Compa, Avan, Konata, and Kagami eventually walked out to join them.

"To peace, and to a bright, prosperous future for all Gamindustri." IF announced, and with a nod, everyone clinked together individual glasses of pudding.

In southern Aurelius, at the place where Jose's blade remained, a lone figure with piercing, sinister purple eyes, purple hair, and an outfit that would make a gangster beg, approached the scene. Her name was Kurome Ankokuboshi, and she was going to claim the fallen Crime Lord's rapier for herself.

"You did a fine job fighting our enemies, Jose… As I wield your sword, I promise you this… I will throw the multiverse into a whirlpool of delusion… and I will bring and end to the CPUs… It is as the True Goddess demands." she said as she pulled the crimson-colored rapier out of the ground.

END OF THE NEPTUNIA CHRONICLES

* * *

-Author's Notes-

FINALLY the story came to its conclusion. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever be done.

The part where Andrew Hawker sacrifices his life to end the war pretty much brought me to tears as I was writing it. I have to say, I had fun with this story, seeing it to the end.

Though it is the end of The Neptunia Chronicles, it is not the end of the story between Andrew and Neptune, as the epilogue of this story precedes an even bigger Neptunia story. HyperDimension Neptunia is about to go… interdimensional.

As per last time, and spoilers, as this ties in with Re;Birth 1, Arfoire is considered a hero character rather than a villain, so we get to see her fighting on the side of the CPUs this time around. Quite an awesome scene for a final chapter.

Further describing Jose's rapier, it is based on the one used by Genesis in Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII.

From me to all my readers, Keep on Nepping! Until next time!


End file.
